Only Memories Left
by Fate's Princess
Summary: [SakuSasu] How far would you go to retrieve precious memories? Betray your country and side with the enemy?
1. Broken

_**...Only Memories Left...  
**_

* * *

**Chapter 1 - Broken**

* * *

How long had it been? The seasons seemed to blur one after the other.

Summer,

Fall,

Winter,

and spring,

nothing made sense anymore. Not the color of the sky, which at the present moment was a peculiar shade of purple and red, nor the shape of the clouds. I had never been able to figure them out anyways. _"Look!"_ The little kids would shout. _"Its a puppy!"_ And they would all stare with glee. Yet, as I looked up, I saw nothing. Nothing except just what it was, a cloud. But how could that be? I was the one with the special gift of sight. Why was I cursed with being blind?

_Had that been my mistake?_

Maybe I was just looking too hard. Or maybe, the children were just **crazy**.

Insane,

demented,

mad,

delirious,

absurd,

ridiculous,

and foolish.

All seemed plausible–e_xcuses. "Stop being immature!"_ I'd tell them. They only stared at me with curious eyes and returned to their non-sense. But those curious eyes burnt me. Their glare was unbearable. It was full of confusion. How could they be so..so-s-..so stupid! I'd distance myself from them. Both out of annoyance and distress. Dare I say I feared them? Their beady eyes and uncaring behavior? Maybe. Just a little bit.

_Had that been my mistake? Yes._

Was I afraid of becoming like them?

Smiling,

laughing,

jumping,

running,

loving again.

Perhaps.

I was doomed from the first frown. From the first glare and thought of hate. How I hated them. Those who _could_ smile, who_ could _laugh who _could_ jump, who _could_ run, who _could_**love**...without a care in the world. They had no reason to cry, except maybe over a treat not received, or a wish not granted. Foolish reasons. Foolish kids. So detached was I from them that it only took a second to sell my soul away and betray them.

I still see whats in front of me. I still breathe. I still think. I still move. However, I do not feel. Darkness blocks my path–shattering my breath and freezing my movement. Trapping my feelings within, then releasing what's left of me to the artificial.

I could turn away. I could easily break through. Yet I cant. How am I to break a promise forged in blood. Blood of a clan long spilled, dead, and forgotten. A noble clan, powerful and pure! Ancient and praised!

I am alone.

_I am not._

There is another.

_He still survives._

He must die.

_I must kill him. _

**He will die.**

_By my hands._

Give me power. Make me stronger. I will do anything. Take my heart, rip it out and break it to pieces. Steal my soul and send it wherever you please. Take all of me, just give me what I need. I'm not strong enough yet! I must work harder!

I'm on my knees. Cant you see? Are you also blind like me?

_Blinded by power._

Is that my fate to be?

_... Or am I too late..._

* * *

The sharp colors were practically blinding. Spring was anything but pleasant to me. I'd prefer to be lost in the snow or stranded in a desert. Places where destruction thrived. Not where nature flourished. I feel powerless once again. There's nothing I can do to stop it. The plants are awakening from their long slumber. Their colors more vibrant than before. Their scent delicate and intoxicating. So much that it makes me repel at just the slightest touch. 

But I cannot escape from them. They are all around me. A vast forest of colors.

Pinks,

reds,

and even purples.

Sakura tree's bloomed endlessly. There was one that happened to catch my eye. It was a small tree... almost fragile looking. Its flowers were not the brightest. Its branches not the strongest. It would not last. It never could.

Had I really fallen so low as to study trees? It was all his fault. Once what I need was gotten from him he would pay dearly. Instead of training at the current moment, or teaching me something to make me stronger, he decided to leave. It bothered me to no ends extent. And it had not been the first time. He had left many other times before to who knows where. He truly lived up to his character. A snake at heart.

I did not expect him to be kind to me. And like wise he knew I would be just as hostile to him. I came to him on my own will, yes. But in no way was I about to degrade myself and become a slave. I knew better. As did he. I still smirk each time I think of kimimaro. What a devoted fool he had been. And as such, he had payed it with his life. To think, however, he was the only reason I was able to make it to the snakes lair partially uninterrupted.

My body unconsciously tensed as I felt another presence come closer and closer to me. Looking down from my current position in one of the tress, I noticed a lone figure. It was about two-hundred yards away from where I sat.

It was strange to me. People did not usually travel alone. Especially not through these corrupt territories. They must have been _mad_.

I smiled as the figure came closer. He wore a long cloak covering his head and concealing his body. It was unmistakable as to who it was however. The white mask gave it away.

An Anbu.

Finally, some fun.

I decided it must have been a pretty bad Anbu. Not only was he alone, but also out in the open. It reminded me of a ninja... a ninja from my past.

There was something about him however, that sent shrills down my spine. Getting a closer look at his mask, I realized it did not look like a typical Anbu one did. They were the same colors, but the designs differed. While the other ones I remembered had been made to look stoic, this one almost seemed to smile at you. _A devilish smile. _There was a greater emphasize on the eyes, which in turn had, for lack of a better word, a beautiful design around them. A dozen swirls all around perhaps, fooling the eyes into believing they were endless.

He walked with grace and power in each stride. Perhaps it would be my curiosity that would be my downfall. If so... then be it. I had to find out just who it was behind this mask. Hopefully it would be a challenge. Something to appease the sudden boredom I had been plagued with. _Flowers were not that interesting._

I smiled as he stopped about twenty yards from where I was hidden. He looked around for a while until finally locking his artificial eyes on my position. I gladly jumped from where I sat. Stretching my muscles quickly as I landed.

To my surprise, he knew perfectly well who I was.

"Uchia Sasuke." A muffled voice called out from behind the mask.

"Hn." I replied.

"What a pleasant surprise." I could just feel the smirk forming behind his mask.

"Ah, so you know me?" I eyed him. His reply was a quick nod. Both acknowledgment and an insult at the same time.

This was becoming interesting. I eyed him dangerously, "So does that mean I know you as well?"

The Anbu stood still for a second. It did not confirm my belief, nor did it deny it. It was obvious to me however. The guilt was all too palpable in the air. This air—that held undeniable familiarity around it.

"Shall we find out then?" I challenged.

He became more and more intriguing to me as he surprised me yet again by agreeing to my challenge. I was sure that I would have to force him to battle. Maybe it was not someone I had known personally. They were never as bold.

I did not care at the moment though. A glaze for action had already covered my eyes.

The concealed man reach inside of his cloak for what I could only assume was a weapon. Of course, my assumptions were correct. But would the surprises ever cease? A sword was taken out... one I had never seen before, yet everything _should_ have made perfect sense.

It was a traditional looking sword—its hilt, covered with bandages, a peculiar color of wine. A single string protruding from the top danced freely in the wind. There was a pink bead at the end, followed by the smallest feather I had seen yet. There was however, nothing special about it. The blade was not especially long or short; and as far as i could see...it would be no match to my own.

I was hoping to at least be met by partial skin as he held his sword—easing my doubts that this person was not human at all; but alas.. all my eyes met was a black gloved hand.

"You could easily end this, you know. All I wish to know is who you are...and perhaps I'll release you unharmed."

Were my ears betraying me? He was laughing. At me?

"You fail to see though," his muffled voice replied, "that I am not yet your prisoner for you to be announcing my release in such a way. Besides... that would be no fun."

I couldn't help but to smirk at his remark. He was arrogant; too arrogant for my taste. But...that could easily be put to an end. I drew my sword, daring him to make the first move. _He was but a pawn in my little game of chess._

Yet he did not move; he only stood staring at me through artificial eyes. But I wondered if he could even see through that mask...I had never had the chance of finding out. In a way...he had already made the first move. It was his choice—he was to be the prey and I the predator. How could I deny such a request.

I charged at him at a fast pace; not at all what I was capable of, but enough to surprise him. And still, he did not move. The first couple of attacks laid down were very basic; instinct was all that was needed. He seemed to know the secret behind my sword. By just a glance, I could tell he knew my sword would break his in half. He dodged each attack, making sure the only thing I made contact with was the ground.

I have to admit, I was a bit hesitant to let me guard down and go all out. This person was a mystery; I knew not the secrets that lay beyond his mask nor the ones that comprised his Jutsu. Then again, what fun would I have if I knew everything?

I moved faster and faster, well beyond the speed able to be attained by other beings. He was having no trouble keeping up, but he would not be able to fully dodge my moves in the way he was doing so for long. I could already sense his speed falling behind that of my own. Only inches from him, I swung my sword aiming for his head. He quickly reacted by leaning backwards and attempting to knock me to the floor as he swung his feet clockwise. He had to be a fool; such a simple move wouldn't work on me. I jumped up and moved a reasonable distance from him once again.

Back to the start.

My eyes narrowed as he finally gripped his sword with two hands. And so I charged at him even faster than before, this speed I knew for certain he could not reach, unless he were hiding something. But even so, he did not attempt to move. I watched, almost in slow motion, as he brought his sword up to eye level and quickly struck it down into the unsuspecting ground.

It took all the force in the world to stop me at that moment. I watched amazed as the ground parted from the spot where his sword had pierced it, quickly heading towards me. It looked almost like an explosion as the large and small fragments of rocks parted from the earth and quickly fell back down.

This time it was he who positioned himself in a defensive stance and dared me to move. All I could wonder was why he had revealed his power to me. There must have been something more behind it. He could not be such a fool. Or was I just giving him too much credit?

The forest of Sakura trees blurred around me; their colors no longer affecting my senses. I felt him move towards me as well...our blades were but mere seconds from each other. This it was it, it was over. He was the one that had made the mistake.

Or so I thought.

But as I expected to hear the sound of metal on metal, I was shocked to hear quite the opposite. There were dozens, maybe even hundreds of vines and tree branches that surrounded his sword and in turn blocked my own from reaching his. He swung his sword in a circle and from the ground more branches forged in chakra began to surround me.

It was not possible. My sword was not strong enough. But...it was _suppose_ to be unstoppable.

It felt as if I were in a cage; trapped as my opponent watched me struggle from the sidelines.

"What are you?" I yelled at him. But my only reply was the sure sound of a smirk behind his mask. I made a mental note to swipe it off his face as soon as I was free. I had to give him credit though, for I did not expect to have to use any Jutsu at all...yet here I was.

I closed my eyes and smiled as i felt my body temperature rise. It felt as if my whole body were on fire. Pure ecstasy. My opponent took a step back as the first spark emitted from my palm. And soon, I was covered with them. Chidori taking my entire body and soul over. I was so full of it I could feel it in my throat. Its soothing music filling my senses; sweet rapture.

I screamed, or at least I attempted to do so. And in an instant, the cage that surrounded me vanished into ashes. He took another step back as the lightning that surrounded my body called out for him. I wasn't even aware that my feet had begun to move; all I could think of was striking him down for trapping my as if I were an animal. I concentrated my lighting in one hand as i drew closer.

He stood and prepared himself, raising his sword to eye level. If he were smart, he would have ran. But I could tell, he was not that much of a coward.

It was like a blinding light as we finally met. There were swirls of pink and reds too. I stood my grown as my vision finally cleared. He stood almost 10 yards away from where we had clashed—the energy put into my attack had pushed him that far. He was using his sword, struck in the ground, for support. I was surprised he could stand at all.

The wind blew against him and he held on tighter. I watched silently as his cloak was slowly sliding off of him; until, in one swift gust...it was gone.

My heart skipped a beat.

Maybe it was two...

Or even three...

It could not be.

I told myself, maybe it was just the reflection of the fair colors of the trees...but that made no sense. The strands of hair seemed almost endless; defying gravity as they danced in the wind. Blending in perfectly with their surroundings.

"You..." I whispered; fighting to maintain a mask of my own. _I was losing that battle._

The crack down the middle of the Anbu mask formed by my Chidori attack finally broke in half as a small fragment of the mask fell towards the floor. The person before me rose their hand towards the mask, passing a gloved finger through where the crack was, until finally they gripped onto the edge of the mask.

'NO! Don't take it off!' I wanted to yell at that person, but nothing left my lips.

The mask was torn off and now laid as small pieces of rubble on the ground. I dared not look up from it. I did not wish to see what I would be met with. There was still one large piece left within the rubble. It used to be an eye. Some of the designs were still visible; and it almost looked as if it were crying.

I blinked.

Maybe once.

Maybe twice.

It was a million times.

And as I looked up, I could have sworn I was swimming in a green ocean. Her eyes tore straight through me—blaming me for much more than a broken mask. Maybe it was for forgetting her name—however, with such an appearance...it was obvious.

"Sakura..." I said to myself. But the wind did not wish to give me the ability to keep secrets. It carried it to her as well.

She closed her eyes and smiled at me as her soft giggle reached my ears.

And everything came rushing back to me. All the painful memories of finally belonging...

**End Chapter 1**

* * *

Yay!.. not only is this my first Naruto fanfiction, but also the first time I've attempted first person point of view. Its much harder than I had originally thought it would be .. .. reading it over.. I accidentally switched to third person a couple times..lol. Anywho.. I hope you guys like. More coming as soon as I can possibly manage to get some free time. Don't expect it too soon tho . But anyways.. I really had a ton of fun writing the first part of this chapter. I think i re-read it over like a million times ) 

edit - to answer some questions... yes, it will be a **Sakura/Sasuke** pairing, sorry that I didn't mention that before; and also sorry to the people who don't like the pairing...they happen to be one of my favorites. Of course, I can understand why some of you may not like them very much after reading the way they are portrayed in some of these fanfictions. Dont get me wrong.. some of them are fine... but come on guys.. theres a certain point when it becomes ridiculous!

Now then... I don't want to make Sakura a weak character in this story... maybe only for a little while when it comes to her past.. but you guys will see soon enough. I don't want to reveal too much of the plot because that would just be no fun. heh Oh.. and sorry for any spelling mistakes and grammar.. it hates me T.T

_Love,_

_**Fate's Princess**_


	2. Missing

**Previously**

_And as I looked up I could have sworn I was swimming in a green ocean. Her eyes tore straight through me. Blaming me for much more than a broken mask. Maybe it was for forgetting her name—however, with such an appearance...it was obvious._

"_Sakura..." I said to myself. But the wind did not wish to give me the ability to keep secrets. It carried it to her as well._

_She closed her eyes and smiled at me as her soft giggle reached my ears. _

_And everything came rushing back to me. All the painful memories of finally belonging..._

* * *

**Chapter 2 - Missing**

Was this all just part of a sick and twisted game? _It must have been. _She could not have possibly been the weak girl I had once called my teammate. Yet there stood that very persons reflection. She was taller—much taller than I would have expected her to become. And her hair, that which I believe she once treasured, had grown much longer as well. It was far beyond her shoulders...even further than her lower back!

The most obvious change however, was in her eyes. Those emerald pools that stared at me with such wonder. Were I a child, I might have stepped out of her way—but that was not the case. They were much darker than I remembered. Pushing you lower and lower with each glare—she knew not the power which they held.

Maybe she deserved my praise in a way..for I expected her to be at my feet. Yet there she stood, burning through me. She did not have any sadness in her eyes. None whatsoever. She did not look at me with want. Nor, with anger—except maybe for the broken mask. But her eyes also held a secret.

One the the wind did not wish to reveal to me.

"I'm flattered, really." Those were the first words I clearly heard her speak. The change in her voice was immediately noticeable. Yet her remark made no sense. Maybe I should have activated Sharingan at that moment.

"Flattered?" I questioned her. What was it that I had done now? Maybe it was actually acknowledging her in a fight—she had at least improved in that.

She nodded, her smile not fading from her face. I just wished to rip it off of her—_she should not have the right to smile. _

"I was not expecting such an infamous missing-nin as yourself to know of me."

As her words sunk in, all I could do was stare.

And stare.

Was this really the Sakura I had once known? Her words seemed to tell me otherwise—yet their resemblance was unnatural.

"They teach us much about you—the famous only survivor of the Uchiha clan massacure." She continued as, I suppose, she noticed my silence. Yet her words became lower, and harsher.

"Who then betrayed us."

They shouldn't have... yet her words hurt me. I passed it off as nothing though. _More excuses._

"You are not what I expected you to be however..."

No...this couldn't have been Sakura.

"Whys that?" I asked her.

She huffed—her breath was almost visible. "Isn't it obvious?" Her voice would never cease to mock me. "You don't look much older than myself. If you really are who you say you are... then shouldn't I have at least come across you while you were still in Konohagakure?"

Had there been more than one annoying girl with pink hair and green eyes? Highly unlikely.

"...Who are you?" It was all I could think to ask at the current moment.

She looked at me with those eye I hated so much once again. Ridiculing me.

"Sakura Haruno."

I narrowed my eyes, sending her a silent warning. "Hn. You're not her."

She seemed confused as she looked at me with a furrowed brow.

"Whatever you say..."

Her voice was barely audible. She was much more concentrated in attempting to find her long forgotten cloak. She was so vulnerable at this moment—so careless. It most definitely could not have been _her. _I gripped my sword a little tighter...and I know for certain she saw this, yet she did nothing about it. There was no fear in her eyes—there was...nothing.

Just one tear would suffice.

She must have been a ghost. That was all I could think of. A cruel trick being played by my mind. Was my boredom really that bad? Yet the longer I stared, to more real she became. Her footsteps were still visible. The cut from her vines, just noticed, was very much real. I felt a shock from it quickly rush through me and left once again.

Whoever this person was, she obviously did not know her place. As the seconds passed, she seemed to just forget that I was standing feet away, weapon in hand. And it irritated me. It irritated the _hell_ outa me.

As she found her lost garment, I used my speed at its fullest to quickly disappear and reappear only centimeters behind her—my sword in front of her throat, daring her to move. I felt her body tense in an instant as she breathed in a deep gust of air.

"You should be more careful.." I warned.

Maybe it was the sound of my voice, or the words I had told her, but her body eased once again. She seemed not to care that I was so close, or that my sword could slit her throat at any given second. She resealed the breath she was holding and I could feel her smiling.

She turned her head slightly to look at me, my sword lightly grazing across her neck from the movement—she didn't really seem to care.

Her green eyes narrowed on my own. "If you had really planned to kill me..." I heard her say as her warm breath touched my skin. The sensation was something I had never felt before. Actually being able to feel something real...

"Then you would have already."

It was my bodies turn to become tense. She had a way to make me forget all of the training I had undergone and lose the little patience I did have. I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth; her words still revolving in my head.

"_..kill me..."_

"_..you would have already."_

"_I am not yet your prisoner"_

"_Uchiha..._

"_..kill me..."_

"_I'll do anything for you..."_

"_I love you so much!"_

"_..kill me..."_

"_..kill me..."_

"_Sasuke..."_

"_..kill me..."_

I opened my eyes and saw her still staring at me. Only this time... her eyes seemed to have a worried look in them. Something I had not seen in them before. As she parted her lips to say something, I swiftly pulled my sword—silencing her.

I sighed as the puff of smoke before me vanished. Looking down, I wast met with a small green crystal. There was a roped tied around it—its end now cut short. I picked it up and held it in one palm. Turning it over, I noticed a small engraving on one of the faces.

It said... "Team 7."

Turning it over towards another face, there was yet another engraving. This time it said "Sakura." And yet another turn, I was sure to find the name "Naruto."

I blinked. Only one face left. I'm not sure what it was I expected...

As I turned it over... I did not find another engraving. The last face was left blank. Yet, taking a closer look... it did look as if there used to be another name there—but it was scraped out...

"Sakura..." I heard myself say as I looked all around the vast forest of pink—but she was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

**- ****Sakura's P.O.V -**

* * *

It felt as if my heart was about to leap out of chest. I could barely see, breathe, or think—all i was able to do at the moment was just run. Run as fast as my legs would take me; forgetting the horrible pain I felt inside of me...the fact that my body was screaming at me to stop. 

_How could I have been so careless_. It wasn't like the usual me to be so..so... to feel so... _safe_... when around an enemy. And something about that fact just didn't click as right. For as long as I could remember, I had been taught that Sasuke Uchiha was a heartless person, and a powerful one too—two things that should never be allowed to exist inside of one person. Yet as I looked into his eyes only minutes ago, there was something that overpowered both of those traits.

I know he could have killed me right from the beginning. It was foolish of me to even consider fighting him...yet he didn't kill me. He _knew_ me. Or claimed to know a Sakura.

And I..._ I feel like I know him too_... but thats impossible.

_Is it?_

-Yes.

* * *

Only when I reached my apartment—miles away—did I stop running. And at that instant, I knew my body would collapse. _I wished it would_. But it wouldn't just let me rest in peace; it continued to make me suffer. 

There was an eerie sort of cool inside the darkness of my apartment that I had recently fallen in love with. To most it would seem rather strange, yet to me it was the most relaxing feeling in the world. Just as quickly as I had entered, I plopped down and my bed and closed my eyes, sighing heavily—so loudly that I was sure the entire village could have heard it...or at least those who were willing to listen. It hurt to open my eyes, but I refused to close them right away.

I'm not quite sure what it was about the ceiling that captivated me, but I just couldn't seem to find the strength to look away.

And I blinked...it was only a second—but it felt as if my life had ended and begun again. The ceiling vanished for an eternity than came right back as if nothing had happened—but I knew better. Someone had awoken, smiled, laughed, lived, frowned, screamed, died...in that eternity of a second.

I don't quite remember just how it had gotten there, but I felt my hand at my neck—and although I swore that I was immune to any feeling at the moment, a sting surged straight through me and tore me apart. There was a small cut there, no longer bleeding—but a constant reminder that I had not been dreaming.

I managed to break away from the ceiling and turn my head over to my right—how I wish I hadn't. There on my small bedside table stood a picture frame. I closed my eyes and hoped another eternity would pass by; but as I opened them again, I found myself in the same position with the picture still staring at me.

It was the first time that I had really looked at it. And as I did...I noticed something about it just didn't feel right.

There was a tall man in the picture, with ghastly white hair—a visible smile from the only item that was to be seen on his face...his eye. _Kakashi_. To his left was a blond haired boy, with eyes so blue...that the sky stood absolutely no chance. And a smile so bright, that it brought life into the darkness that was my apartment. _Naruto_. Then there was the only girl in the picture—me. And to my right...stood another guy. He seemed content, yet not as happy as Naruto. He had charcoal colored hair and matching eyes—and something I never really did understand...an exposed stomach. _Sai_.

Since we all became Anbu, I never really saw Sai anymore...

We all looked so happy in that picture, yet I still can't help this feeling I have.

I forced myself to move and turn the picture over and out of my sight—however, it accidentally fell over to the back of the table, trapped in between it and the wall. I had thought of removing it from its position for only a second, as I remembered that I still had to report to Tsunade.

Getting up, I completely forgot about the picture as I walked out of my apartment and towards her office. I was sure she would be shocked to see me back so soon—and I was right as she looked up from her paper work to see me enter through the door.

"Tsunade-sama." I bowed respectfully to the woman who had taught me just about everything I currently knew.

"Sakura?" She questioned me. "What are you doing back so soon...and," she continued as she looked around for a clock, "at this hour?"

I shrugged. Its not like I was about to tell her what actually happened. "It was just quicker than we estimated."

"I see," she said, eying me suspiciously. I saw her look me up and down then stop at one spot—my neck.

_Shit._

As quickly as I could, I flipped my hair over my shoulder, covering the slash left there earlier.

"No troubles along the way?"

I quickly shook my head. "No."

She narrowed her eyes on me. "Sakura-"

"Tsunade-sama!" I heard a voice calling and slowly released a breath I didn't know I was holding.

I turned around to see a flabbergasted Shizune walk through the door. She took only a second to catch her breath as she looked back between myself and Tsunade.

"What is it?" Tsunade asked her.

"There's been a terrible accident and you're urgently needed at the hospital."

"_Damnit."_ I heard her curse under her breath. She slowly stood and began to walk towards the door. As she did so, she turned to me and said, "We'll talk about this later, Sakura." Her voice was barely audible, yet I could make the words out perfectly. I closed my eyes and nodded, already attempting to come up with a fake story.

And as I opened them, I found myself all alone in the Hokage's office. It was a total and complete mess, reflecting the current owner perfectly. I wondered how it was that she was ever able to get anything done.

I know I shouldn't have, but my body moved all on its own around her desk. There were endless stacks of papers with writing scribbled all over them. None of them really caught my attention. The same monotonous writings over and over again.

Something did happen to catch my eye in the corner of the room however. It was a small filing cabinet. The third one down was what I was fixed on. It was classified as 'missing nins' on the outside. I wasn't sure what I expected as I walked over to it, but surely not that it would be open. Sure enough however, Tsunade's carelessness amused me yet again.

With one easy tug, it opened to my curious eyes. There were dozens of files inside of it—some names I was familiar with, and some that I wasn't. I was only interested in finding one name however. I looked through all of the files once.

Twice.

Three times...nothing. His name was not to be found among the list of the condemned.

My brow furrowed as I closed the drawer once again. _Why is he not listed?_

I walked over to the large glass window separating the office from the rest of the village and laid my forehead on it—sighing loudly. The streets below me were dark and dead—there was not one soul to be seen. Konoha had a beautiful sky covering it this night however. The stars were the brightest that I had seen them in quite a while—and the moon...there was none. It was darkness at its fullest extent.

As I turned to leave, I accidentally knocked a couple of the papers on Tsunade's desk over.

_Dammit! _

Just as I was about to pick the papers up, I noticed something on her desk that didn't quite belong. A lost file perhaps? I wasn't sure whether to pick it up or just leave it alone, but my body seemed to know what to do. My hand shakily reached for the cream colored file. I dared not blink in fear that the name printed on it should suddenly vanish.

_Uchiha, Sasuke_

My heart skipped a beat. So this is where it had been.

I slowly opened the file to reveal a pair of eyes staring back at me. It was a picture of a small child—more like a copy of the Sasuke I had seen earlier today. I was rather surprised as I studied his young face. It was just as cold back then as it had been today...

As I went to pull the paper-clipped picture out, I noticed there was another behind it. It was him again, but this time much younger. Most likely about five or six. It was a completely different person through my eyes however. The little kid had a huge smile, much like that of Naruto's. He actually looked...happy. I couldn't help but wonder what it was that had caused the change in him.

My eyes lowered to the printed words on a paper behind the pictures.

**Name: Uchiha, Sasuke.**

**Age: 13**

**Height: 153.2 cm**

**Weight: 43.5 kg**

**Clan: Uchiha **

The next line shouldn't have really come as a surprise, yet it did.

**Rank: Genin**

**Team: **

Where the number of his team should have been, there was only a scribbled out mess. This was obviously the outdated version of his file. All of the other papers only held useless information which I was already familiar with from the Anbu classes.

There was something strange though. Looking at the numbers printed on the bottom of each page, they often skipped.

1,2,3,4...8..11..15.

_Where were the missing pages?_

Before I had the chance to find out, I heard Tsunade's voice ring out through the hallways. I quickly closed the file and picked up all of the spilled papers—returning them as orderly as possible; rethinking it however, orderly probably wasn't in Tsunade's fashion.

Walking over towards the window, I pretended to be interested in something outside.

"Sakura?"

I turned to find a confused Tsunade standing at the door. "Hm?"

"What are you still doing here?"

I looked around me as if I were confused, "Oh I'm sorry, guess I just got caught up in my thoughts." I lightly chuckled.

She nodded her head once as she continued to study me—searching for any breaches in my security. There were none.

"You should go home and rest."

I nodded and bowed.

"You _will_ speak to me about the mission later however."

I felt a shiver go down my spine—I knew she wouldn't just let it go. "I assure you, Tsunade-sama, nothing unusual happened."

"Mmm." Was her only reply as she sat down and turned her chair towards the darkness outside of the window.

**End Chapter 2**

* * *

You know, I had the first half of this written out quite a while ago, but it was only today that the second part just smacked me in the face, lol. So as I'm sure you guys are wondering... **No** Sakura does not remember Sasuke and their past together, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. You'll learn more about how and why later on in the next chapter—I promise! 

Love,

_**Fates Princess**_


	3. Searching

**Previously**

"_You will speak to me about the mission later however." _

_I felt a shiver go down my spine—I knew she wouldn't just let it go. "I assure you, Tsunade-sama, nothing unusual happened." _

"_Mmm." Was her only reply as she sat down and turned her chair towards the darkness outside of the window._

* * *

**Chapter 3 - Searching**

**Drip Drop...**

**Drip Drop...**

_ugh... what the—wha..._

**Drip Drop...**

**Drip Drop...**

I opened my eyes to the sensation of water touching my skin. It was not the feeling alone that woke me however, it was its never ending _irritating sound_!

**Drip Drop...**

Following the path of the sound was not difficult at all. Looking up, another drop came crashing down, hitting me straight on my nose—of course my first reaction was to close my eyes and back away. In doing so however, I managed to find the perfect way to roll off my bed and come crashing down to the icy floor.

_Ugh!_

**Drip Drop ...**

**Drip Drop...**

No matter how dirty a look i managed to give the water droplets coming down from my roof, they did not hinder.

Only as I tried to stand, did I realize the pain I was in. It was one of those feelings that just comes rushing at you all at once—a final blow—for I had not felt this horrible last night at all. I could see nothing physically wrong with myself, yet I felt my blood pulsating through me every time I attempted any movement.

I just decided to sit on the floor for a few minutes, unsure of just what it was that I should do. Not because I couldn't move—no—because my mind just couldn't seem to make itself up about the previous days events. There was still something that just didn't feel right to me in the pit of my stomach—and it was currently attempting to eat me alive.

The halo around every corner of my room's curtain eventually caught my attention. Crawling as slowly as possible over to them, I grasped on to both sides, and with one swift movement...pulled them apart. The blinding light cut through the darkness that had previously called my apartment '_home'_. It sent a burning feeling to my eyes as I fell backwards in, I suppose, what you could call pain from the sudden appearance of the rays.

I laid back once again, just allowing the sunshine to consume me—that is until my peaceful rest was interrupted by a sudden scratching sound. Others might have been frightened by it, but I barely noticed it anymore—I barely noticed anything anymore... Not the weird looks of sympathy some people would give me as I walked down the streets, nor the way Naruto always seemed to think his words over as he held a conversation about the past with me.

_Sigh..._

I finally stood and walked over towards the door lazily. The closer I got, the louder the scratching sound became.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"

The door creaked as I opened it—a flash of fur quickly ran past me into my apartment, and heading straight for her bowl of food.

_Poor thing! She must have slept outside last night. _

I left her eating and walked drowsily towards my bathroom. I noticed nothing at first since eternal darkness still ruled this part of my home—but the second the lights came on, I could have screamed! There was no word known to me which could describe the current state of my hair. I attempted in vain to stroke it a few times with my fingers in hope of taming the beast...no luck.

_Sigh_.

Looking in the mirror again, a question suddenly popped into my head. One which I really had no answer to. _Why did I let it grow this long?_ I tried to search for the answer...but it seemed to be hiding from me. I was certain however that it wasn't just carelessness.

Now that I was able to look at the cut on my neck clearly, I realized it wasn't as bad as I had previously thought. Still noticeable though. As my finger traced through it, I felt like slapping myself in the head.

"My necklace!"

I looked all around me, though I knew I wouldn't find it in any corner of this apartment. Though I chose to ignore it, I had a pretty good feeling of just where my necklace currently was.

_Dammit...Dammit...Dammit!_

There was only one thing I could do in order to get it back... and that was to go back into that dreadful, enchanting..._beautiful_...forest. I quickly weighed out the odds of running into Sasuke Uchiha once again. The odds seemed to favor me. If he were smart, he would have been long gone after an Anbu discovering his location.

I was almost certain he wouldn't be there. Or at least thats what I kept telling myself.

My decision was set. I would go retrieve it.

There would be no need for my Anbu garbs, so after a qucik shower I decided on an outfit I had not worn in a very long time. It was a tight red shirt, now much tighter on me than before. With black spandex shorts and a white skirt, cut in the middle and sides, above it.

How long had it been? Four years...

_Since what?_

...I'm...not sure.

I quickly dashed out of the bathroom as I heard a loud crash. Looking all around my room for an instant, I quickly spotted the culprit.

"Ona! Leave that alone!" I scolded.

The feline jumped off of the table without protest and found a comfier spot in the wild ocean of sheets that was my bed.

There was no longer a picture frame stuck in between the wall and table—now it had completely fallen down towards the ground...hidden for perhaps eternity.

* * *

Surprisingly, there was no resistance as I walked out of Konoha. There was no Naruto questioning me first where it was I was going, and later if I would buy him ramen. Ino wasn't anywhere in sight either. Then again, I never really saw her anymore. She, Shikamaru, and Chouji had become practically inseparable. 

Once again, I tried not to notice the sad smiles some gave me as I walked down the street.

The forest I had come from the previous day was much further away than I had realized at first. It was a wonder to me how I had made it home in so quick a time. Yet I trotted along for hours after hours, the blazing sun only making the journey all the more _pleasant_.

And as I finally arrived at the beginning of the little trail, which passed through a thousand Sakura trees, I wished I had rethought coming at all. It was beyond me how I would be able to find this tiny little necklace in so large a forest. It could have possibly ended up anywhere...

However, I had to find it. I still remember the day that I had attained it. It had been a present from Naruto...and Kakashi as well, although he didn't want to admit it. The occasion had currently slipped my mind, but Naruto's words had not.

"_Here Sakura, This is for you." I took the small box from him with wide eyes, wondering what it could be. And as I opened it, my eyes could only get wider. _

"_Wow...Naruto...its beautiful."_

_He smiled and sheepishly scratched the back of his head with his hand. "It reminded me of your eyes." _

_We both laughed together. _

"_Its a lucky crystal," he told me as he took it from my hands. He took out a Kunai and started to scratch something onto the crystal. _

"_Wha..what are you doing?" I asked as I attempted to get a closer look at his action. _

"_U'll see.." was his only reply. _

_I looked at him and smiled as he handed it back to me. He had scratched onto it, 'Team 7.' _

"_Write all of our names on it, and never take it off. That way, we'll always be a team...all three of us." _

_I nodded taking the Kunai from him. _

_I wrote my name, then Naruto's,_

Then... was it Sai's?

Yes.. it had to have been.

* * *

**- Third Person POV -**

* * *

The days seemed to turn almost into routine for him. Waking up as early as possible in the mornings, and working out until the late afternoons. There was never an hour, a minute...not even a second that Sasuke would allow himself to stray from his task. 

That is...until recently.

Maybe it happened on impulse...he really wasn't quite sure. But just as the previous day, he found himself in the forest of Sakura tree's once again. He wasn't quite sure of what to expect—but a feeling deep inside of him told him just what was coming. So he sat on the nearest tree to him and just waited.

He sat there watching the sun rise high into the sky. Sasuke closed his eyes and just sat back, enjoying the silence of the forest. Even in such a peaceful place however, he never once let his guard down. Life had become like that for him—all that was required was a second of carelessness and everything he had been through would prove to be a waste. He knew he was close to reaching his goal..._'just a little longer..'_

He slowly opened his eyes and looked below him. There was nothing there yet, but he felt it. He felt _her._ Was she really that foolish? Only a fool would come back for another encounter with him. How many had it been that had died by his hands now? Sasuke didn't quite know anymore. And as he thought about it.. he decided, Sakura really wasn't that smart to begin with.

She wandered aimlessly as she looked all around her, searching for any hint of green in between all of the pink. So far there was nothing. She had even searched under a peculiar looking rock, and still nothing.

Sasuke's emotionless eyes followed her as she moved from tree to tree. She seemed to be looking for something. He had an Idea of what it was, but just giving it back to her so easily didn't seem like the right thing to do. Besides, he had some unanswered questions. First there was her lack of memory..he was sure it wasn't an act. And second...that Jutsu she had used on him the previous day. He hadn't had the chance to personally look at it with his sharingan, but he would find out one way or another how it was used. It might prove useful to him for his future pans.

She become more and more irritated as the hours passed and there was still no sign of her necklace. Would Naruto be mad? She knew it meant a lot to him...and she _knew_ it meant something to her as well, she just couldn't remember what. _'Was it really that important after all?'_ She pondered. There wasn't a time where she left somewhere without her precious jewel tied smugly around her neck. But if it really did mean that much to her, why had she forgotten it's importance so easily.

She sat down at the base of a tree in frustration, leaning her head back against the rough bark and closing her eyes. Sakura made a mental note to ask Naruto about the crystal the next time she saw him.

The air all of a sudden became thick around her, and her throat went completely dry. _'shit!'_ She hadn't even thought about making sure the zone was safe. She quickly turned around to find the tip of a blade pointed directly at her nose.

Sakura gulped and followed the blade's body to its owner.

"What are you doing back here." His deep voice filled her ears.

"Uchiha..." She said, a little lighter than she would have liked. She wanted to look at him with anger in her eyes. He betrayed her people for crying out loud! He was a criminal! Yet she all of a sudden found it difficult to look away from his eyes. She searched deep in them for something. What was it that made him feel so familiar to her. She had seen him countless times before in photographs...but none of them had ever taken her breath away like this.

Sasuke noticed something different about her—something he hadn't really been looking at yesterday. On her forehead, there was a small seal. Much like the one he had seen on the current hokage—except this one was an oval with two smaller circles on either side.

He narrowed his eyes and withdrew his sword.

"Sakura..." he said.

Sakura found that she didn't like how he so openly referred to her by such a casual title. He didn't have the right! He didn't even know her!

"What is that?"

She furrowed her eyebrows and looked at him in confusion. _'Why isn't he killing me yet??!?' _"What are yo-"

"That thing on your forehead.." he said as he put one hand on his waist and stared at her.

He could have sworn he saw her eye twitch. Her aura all of sudden became darker than usual. Sakura closed her eyes and tightened her fists as she stood.

"Just who..." she opened her eyes and glared at him, "do you..." She took a step towards him—he held his ground. "Think you ARE!" With each word, her voice became louder and louder, until at the last one she finally swung at him with all the force she could muster at the moment.

He easily caught her small fist with his hand—though even Sasuke couldn't deny that her strength shocked him if just a little bit.

"Sakura..." he warned.

No one mentioned Sakura's forehead and got away with it so easily. Especially not an s-class bastard like him.

She swung her other arm at him, but he ducked. His sword was still in his hand, but she noticed that he wouldn't swing it at her—no matter how hard she tried to get him to do so.

"Stop Sakura."

She hated the way his voice held no emotion. Even the most ruthless killers she had come across at least showed anger... but not him.

"Why wont you fight me!"

She swung her leg at him and he quickly jumped over it, still holing one of her fists in his hand. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her—he decided at that moment that this Sakura was much more annoying than the old one.

He squeezed her fist in his hand tighter and tighter until he was sure it pained her—then roughly pushed her back with so much force that she fell to the ground.

"Don't be stupid Sakura. I don't want to kill you just yet. There are a couple of things I want answered first."

She sighed. It would be nearly impossible to overpower him—even if she used her full strength. He had proven that the previous day. She noticed when she fought him that he used neither his curse seal nor sharingan. And had it not been for the barrier Tsunade had shown her, she would have literally been toast.

"It's a seal used to control my strength. Tsunade-sama thought it was necessary."

Sasuke knew that wasn't what it was at all. He had already studied her chakara patterns from afar...there was nothing restraining it. Was she lying to him? If she was...then what was it really?

"How long have you had it?"

She seemed to be deep in concentration as she counted back in her mind.

"Ummm... about four years."

"Four years ago..." he mumbled to himself. _'Of course!' _"That was when you and Naruto-"

"Who are you?" She said interrupting him. "Why do you claim to know me..and now Naruto too?" She shakily stood back up, holding her hurt fist with her other hand.

Ignoring her question, he went on with his own. "What was that Jutsu you used yesterday?"

Sakura frowned and shook her head, "Just kill me already Uchiha. I'll say nothing more to you."

He smirked and took a step closer to her. "That's something you never seem to learn."

She narrowed her eyes at him, "What is?" Sakura looked towards the ground as he took yet another step.

"To be careful what you wish for."

When she looked up at his eyes once again, they were no longer the deep onyx she had become accustomed to. Now, they were a deep red color, with hints of black within them. She was astonished for a second—never before had she actually seen the sharingan. She had only heard about it.

_'Crap...' _And it's effects were currently coming back to memory as well. She soon found herself unable to move.

_'Close your eyes Sakura! Close them dammit!' _She told herself, but it was no use...her body simply would not comply.

"Bastard..." She heard herself say—though it didn't sound like her voice anymore.

He came within a few inches of her, to the point that Sakura found it impossible to have a closer look of his deadly eyes. The last thing she felt was his hot breath on her skin before her eyes became heavy and everything went dark.

Sasuke caught her limp body in his arms. She was far too annoying. Despite this new 'tough' exterior of hers...nothing had really changed. She was still the weak little twelve year old he vaguely remembered—just with an addition of a few new tricks.

He was annoyed by the troubled look on her face. The way her eyebrows furrowed and her lip pouted into an unpleasant little frown. He was annoyed by her messy hair—it's thin strands all over the place at this point. He was annoyed by how light she felt in his arms. Much too delicate to be taken seriously.

She was just overall annoying to him...and the sooner she was out of his sight, the better.

- - - - - - -

There was an acutely annoying sensation on her nose. She moved it back and forth in an attempt to relieve herself of the feeling but it was no use. Sakura propped one eye open to look in the eye of what it was that was bringing her such agitation.

She noticed that there laid a single leaf, happily smiling at her, on her nose. Scoffing, she lifted her hand and swapped it off. She sighed in contempt, finally feeling at ease.

The feeling didn't last long however. She instantly opened both eyes and looked all around her. She blinked and then rubbed her eyes harshly.

Was she going crazy?

The Konoha walls were right in front of her. She sat against a tree a couple of yards away from them. But how had she gotten out there? Recalling her memory...the last thing she remembered was...

Sakura clenched her fists and narrowed her eyes..."Uchiha Sasuke..." She growled.

As she did so however, she felt something strange in her hand. As she opened it, she gasped loudly. In her hand laid the object which she had been searching for.

"The crystal! No way..."

She looked back to the depths of the forest for any sign of human life. She sighed. There was none.

"Who are you?" She said so no one in particular as she turned and headed for Konoha's entrance—a determined look on her face.

_'I'll find out one way or another...__**HELL YEAH!!'**_

* * *

"Ah, Sasuke-kun! You're back." Kabuto greeted with a smile on his face. 

"Hn." Sasuke had the urge to rip it off. Kabuto was well aware that Sasuke _detested_ him—yet still pressed his luck and pushed his buttons. _'One of these days...'_

"He's waiting for you." A dark look overcame the medic-nin's face.

Sasuke walked past him without another acknowledgment.

The slimy snake sat propped up on a bed, looking—if it was even possible—paler than usual. He allowed his lips to curve into a disturbing smile and licked his lips as he laid his eyes on Sasuke.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at him—urging Orochimaru to say whatever he had to say and leave him be.

"Sasuke," he hissed, "I suppose you enjoyed you little..._walk_...today?"

Sasuke's glare grew more steady on him, but her remained cool—almost passive—despite his words.

"Mmm." The snake grinned.

"You'll need to get some rest tonight. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." The grin remained on his face.

Sasuke didn't like it one bit. He turned his head slightly in an attempt to see past his words. Had that time come around again? Sasuke turned his back on him and left down the dark corridors of the snakes lair. Tomorrow it would shed its own skin and find comfort in another's.

He slightly grinned, as he closed the door to his room... _It was getting boring anyway..._

**End Chapter 3**

* * *

Been kinda stumped with this story lately.. but I'm determined to finish it :)

Love,

_**Fates Princess**_


	4. Liar

**Previously**

_Sasuke's glare grew more steady on him, but her remained cool—almost passive—despite his words._

"_Mmm." The snake grinned. _

"_You'll need to get some rest tonight. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." The grin remained on his face._

_Sasuke didn't like it one bit. He turned his head slightly in an attempt to see past his words. Had that time come around again? Sasuke turned his back on him and left down the dark corridors of the snakes lair. Tomorrow it would shed its own skin and find comfort in another's. _

_He slightly grinned, as he closed the door to his room... It was getting boring anyway..._

* * *

**Chapter 4 - Liar**

She shifted all of her body weight to one side in an attempt to find a more comfortable stance. After a few minutes and no luck, she shifted it again towards the other side—sighing in agitation. She quickly looked around the small stand and rested her eyes on the far wall.

She narrowed her eyes at the clock, telling its arms to go faster.

**Tick.**

She tapped her foot and put her hands on her waist.

**Tick..**

She violently glared at the civilians in the store who were looking at her as though she were an alien. She couldn't blame them though...after all, it had been her bright idea to dress in her Anbu robes. It was necessary for the sake of protecting her identity...however, all the extra attention it attracted didn't help at all.

**Tick...**

She picked up one of the clay statues for sale at the stand and studied it. It was a miniature cherry blossom tree. The trunk itself was completely transparent, but the cherry blossoms had a hint of pink. She thought it was rather cute.

**Tick!**

"_**Dammit! Where the hell is she?!" **_Sakura cursed as she sat the statue back down on the counter—a little rougher than she meant to. She earned a glare from the owner, but no words were exchanged.

At that moment, she felt a familiar presence on the move.

"Finally!" Sakura huffed.

Out of the Hokage's tower stepped Tsunade. Though Sakura couldn't actually hear her, she knew the words which had come from her lips as she came out into the blinding sunlight were anything but appropriate.

Sakura immediately ducked as she saw Tsunade turn her way. Her heart was practically trying to escape from her chest.

_'Shit...did she see me??"_

The owner of the shop raised an eyebrow as he saw the Anbu member crawl towards the edge of the store and then cautiously peer its head around the corner.

He shook his head and sighed... '_Ninjas are getting stranger and stranger every day.'_

Sakura's heart leaped as she saw Tsunade shake her head and walk the opposite way. Only a few people knew where she was going at this hour, and Sakura happened to be one of them. As she noticed Tsunade was no where in sight, she made a mad dash towards the tower—how long did she have? Perhaps twenty minutes—thirty if Tsunade was especially careless today.

Everyone knew that the Godaime hated paper work. She often used as many excuses as possible to relieve herself from having to do any of the _dreaded_ papers. One of the most recent was an excuse for _sake_. Tsunade had a strange obsession with the drink—and to Sakura's surprise, it had no apparent effect on her. Around this time of day however, she would usually run out of the vile drink and leave to fetch some more. Shizune disapproved of the habit...but there was really nothing she could do to stop Tsunade. She was after all...the Hokage—and freakishly strong of course.

Sakura removed her Anbu mask as she stepped inside the tower and lowered the hood of her cloak—there would be no use for either at this point. She hastily pulled a couple of pieces of paper from her side-pack before reaching Shizune's desk—she knew she would be watching over the Hokage's office a little closer in Tsunade's absence.

"Sakura-san." She smiled.

Sakura returned the smile. "Ohayo Shizune-san. Is Tsunade-sama here?" Sakura put on her best 'serious face.'

"I'm afraid not." She said as she shook her head. "She went out to buy more sake," she said in a disappointed tone.

"Ne, what's that Sakura?" Shizune pointed at the papers in Sakura's hand.

"Oh, Its the report from my last mission. She told me to give it to her today." Sakura sighed and then slightly frowned, "Guess I'll just have to come back later though..."

She turned to leave with a disappointed look plastered on her face.

"Ano, Sakura..." Shizune called.

Sakura grinned under her disappointed appearance.

"I'm sure Tsunade wont mind if you just leave it on her desk."

Sakura's expression instantly brightened, "Eh, really? Arigato gozaimasu Shizune-san!"

Shizune only nodded and went back to reading a paper which she had previously been engrossed in.

Sakura walked past her into Tsunade's office. Now for the hard part. She quickly walked around her desk in search for a pad of paper—one which only the Hokage used. She threw her own report carelessly on the desk as she found the pad and picked up one of Tsunade's pens. Sakura quickly scribbled something on the paper and opened a large drawer on Tsunade's desk.

_'Now...which one was it again?' _She searched through the messy drawer. _'Aha! Gotcha...' _Using one of Tsunade's personal stamps, she left the seal of the Hokage on the pad of paper.

Sakura ripped the paper out and looked it over. _'Not too bad if I do say so myself!' _Hopefully it would be believable to others though. She placed everything back to its original place and quickly hid the piece of paper in her side-bag.

Sakura scratched the back of her head sheepishly as she exited the Hokage's office.

"I hope she sees it," she said out loud—making Shizune look up, "it was practically impossible finding a visible spot on that desk!"

Shizune nodded and smiled, "I'll let her know."

Sakura released a breath as she walked down one of the hallways, completely passing the exit. She replaced her mask and cloak before she neared a large door. It was guarded by two others who were dressed in the same attire as she.

They nodded at her and she pulled out the piece of paper from her bag and handed it to the guards. They cautiously looked it over before finally allowing her to step past the doors. Sakura jumped for joy inside; her plan had worked!

She now stood in a poorly lit room. It was HUGE...for lack of a better term. The ceiling extended a couple of stories at least, and she could barely see the wall on the other side. There were countless shelves within the room full of files. In this room, there were records of everyone who resided, or had, in Konohagakure.

"Well," she sighed, "better get started."

The files were all grouped together in alphabetical order, but where one letter started and the other ended, she had no clue of. After this Sakura noted to push Tsunade to organize this room in a better fashion.

_'D...no. G...no. L...no' _She walked further into the maze of files. _'N...no. Q...no. S...no.'_

_'Aha!' _She grinned triumphally as she had finally reached her destination. _'U!' _

She quickly found the last name she had been searching for, but things did not wish to go her way just yet.

"Uchiha...Wha..what the hell! There's like a zillion here!" The row of Uchiha's never seemed to end. She had no choice but to just search them one by one until she found the right name. "Dammit." She sighed. If Tsunade caught her—she would have her head...with a side of sake.

"Tekka...Teyaki...Uruchi...Yashiro...Obito...Mikoto...Fugaku...Inabi... URG!"

Twenty minutes and countless Uchiha's later she had finally found him.

"Sasuke."

Sakura looked over the file before turning to leave. It didn't look like the one she had previously seen at all. _'Perfect.'_

Maybe there was hope for her yet?

Before she left the large room, she grabbed another file and stashed it along with Sasuke's. She wasn't quite sure what had possessed her to take hold of it though... perhaps curiosity?

* * *

"Ah... Sasuke-kun. How nice of you to join me today." He said with a humorous tone.

Sasuke fought the urge to visibly grimace. "Hn."

"Come closer, please. I believe we have much to...discuss." The snake urged him.

Sasuke didn't move a muscle, but his disgust couldn't suppress itself much longer. "We have a deal, Orochimaru."

The snake laughed, "Indeed. Indeed we do."

"I've yet to see my side of that fulfilled." Sasuke monotonously stated—he had little desire to hold a conversation with this reptile...but things really weren't going his way today."

"Ah," he hissed, "we shall do so together Sasuke-kun! He will not be able to stop us once we are combined."

Sasuke scoffed, "And you're sure of this?"

"Without a doubt." Orochimaru stated as he licked his lips.

"Heh," Sasuke grinned, "That's all I needed to know."

Orochimaru's wicked smile was momentarily replaced with a questioning glance. It was a rare occasion when his vessel visibly expressed such confidence as now. There must be something incredibly wrong. Orochimaru hadn't ruled out the thought that Sasuke might oppose his sudden...intrusion. No, in fact, he had expected it...but something about the look in his eyes made even the legendary sanin think his actions over twice.

The snake didn't let his uncertainty show for long however. He could only smile as his young apprentice drew his sword from his side, his dark eyes turning blood red simultaneously.

"I no longer have use for you." Sasuke plainly stated, a smirk still present on his face.

"Well well," Orochimaru chimed. "Aren't you acting a little arrogant today. Perhaps you need to be taught more lessons...Ssssasuke-kun."

_Then he chuckled..._

Sasuke grimaced. He _hated_ it when the snake chuckled.

* * *

Sakura frowned as the sun set outside of her window. She stood from her bed and turned on the light to her apartment.

She sighed and walked back to the mess of papers that laid on her bed. It seems that her plan had backfired after all. She had thought the previous day that if she were to get a hold of Sasuke's records then perhaps things would finally become clear—yet they now seemed to be the complete opposite.

She furrowed her brow as she looked down at one of the papers.

**Known Stats before disappearance: **

**Name: Uchiha, Sasuke.**

**Age: 13**

**Height: 153.2 cm**

**Weight: 43.5 kg**

**Clan: Uchiha **

**Rank: Genin**

**Team: Kakashi 7 (Comprised of Hatake Kakashi, Uzumaki Naruto, and Haruno Sakura.)**

Her frowned deepened...

"What...the... hell..."

Maybe she should have been shocked; but instead she became utterly confused. How was it possible? Was it a mistake or something? That was the first thought that crossed her mind when she first read this page. As she continued into the depths of his file, however, the last line seemed to be proven correct over and over again.

All of the missions they had been sent on were throughly documented. And each line she read, she was sure to find her name, Naruto's and Uchiha Sasuke's—not Sai's as she had been expecting.

There was documentation of a mission in the Land of Waves, which Sakura had never been to—yet this paper seemed to prove her wrong. According to the story, things had not gone as planned in the supposibly "simple" mission and Uchiha Sasuke had almost been killed.

Sakura shook her head—none of it came to mind.

There was a rather long explanation of an incident which occurred during the Chunin exam. It explained how it was that Sasuke had become cursed, and it further stated that she herself had been a witness.

_'Impossible...' _

She looked over towards the second file which she had also taken, pondering whether to open it or not. She picked it up and looked deeply at the name printed on the front of it...

**Haruno Sakura.**

She closed her eyes and sighed, opening the file.

**Status at age 12: **

**Height: 150.1 cm**

**Weight: 35.9 kg**

**Rank: Genin**

**Team: Kakashi 7 (Comprised of Hatake Kakashi, Uzumaki Naruto, and Uchiha Sasuke.)**

Sakura groaned and threw her file on her bed, causing all of the papers to scatter.

"Why can't I remember any of this??"

She picked up the paper closest to her and looked it over, her eyes widening in surprise. It was her hand writing.

_Sasuke asked me who it was that had hurt me. The curse seal was quickly spreading throughout his entire body. When I told him it was Zaku from the Sound, he savagely attacked him and ripped his arms off. I became extremely frightened and ran to stop him, hugging him tightly. I told him to stop, and he did so. The curse mark then began to vanish and he was back to normal. _

She felt her heart pounding harshly within her chest—it was almost painful. _Almost_. She swept a few loose strands of hair from her face and placed them behind her ear. _'Why do I feel like this?'_

**Current team status: Two years after the disappearance of uchiha Sasuke Sai of the Root was sent to replace Uchiha Sasuke's position on Team 7. **

She harshly collected all of the papers and put them back in order—her eyes burning with rage behind their gentle exterior.

Sakura was no genius. She did not have a special blood line. She had no revered clan to call her own either. But, she was no idiot. She had so many memories, most of them which had just been proven false. She had not know Sai as long as she had assumed. They had not originally been a team from the start. It all made sense to her in a strange kind of way...but she still didn't know why.

Why had she forgotten her past? And who was the one who gave her the new one?

She gathered everything together and hid it inside of her bedside table. Sakura turned the lights to her apartment off and closed the door behind her. She knew there was one more way to confirm everything she had just learnt.

* * *

Sasuke let the heat of Chidori concentrate into his hand before aiming it at Orochimaru in a sort of laser shot. The bright beam struck Orochimaru straight in the chest. He leaned over in his bed and coughed. Blood splattered out from his mouth onto the white sheets. Orochimaru looked at Sasuke with a deadly glare. He grimaced, not caring to wipe the blood off of his lips.

Sasuke grinned. This man was beyond pathetic.

He coughed once more before slightly smiling, "You and I are a lot alike Ne, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke huffed. He was nothing like this vile creature.

Orochimaru attempted to straighten up. He lightly laughed. "We both deserted our village in search of more power."

Sasuke let the beam in his hand strengthen as it still shot through the snakes chest.

Orochimaru groaned before smiling once again, "And even when our teammates came to rescue us...we refused them and attempted to kill them..." His voice was weak and low.

Sasuke frowned. He still remembered that day four years ago.

_At that time, he had only been with Orochimaru for about 2 and a half years. Apparently Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi, had sadly attempted to rescue him once again. He had been annoyed when he found out, or rather how he found out. _

_By some cross-dressing look-a-like. Sasuke had no doubts that the new guy was suppose to be a replacement for himself. He felt almost insulted as he easily trapped him in the realm of his Sharingan. _

_So weak. Even pitiful little Sakura would have proved a better opponent than him._

_During the course of their small fight, his room had given way, leaving them out in the open of the day. He had stood on the ground above the pit which was once his room glaring at the boy. It was then that he first saw Sakura appear from the underground passage. She ran over to where the guy stood, her cheeks colored a light pink from running. _

"_Sakura," he had called her name. _

_Her reaction was almost laughable. He had noticed the change in the way she dressed, but just one look in her eyes and he could tell she was still that little girl from Konoha. _

_After Sakura had come from the underground passage, Naruto had followed. _

_He would have killed them all that day, but Orochimaru had stopped him. _

Sasuke's frowned deepened. He should have killed them that day—they would only prove to be a hindrance in his future plans.

"Even Itachi," Orochimaru proceeded even though Sasuke further strengthened his chidori. The snake grinned. "Neither of us could kill him alone."

Sasuke let his hand drop to his side when his Chidori beam finally struck the wall behind Orochimaru. He had left a giant whole through the center of his chest. It's edges were completely burnt from the heat of the Chidori. Blood seemed to endlessly pour out of the snakes mouth. Sasuke watched silently as his body fell out of bed and crashed down towards the floor.

It lay there limp and unmoving.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Get up," he harshly said.

* * *

"Another one please!" The loud blond screamed—perhaps a bit louder than needed. No one around him seemed to mind though, they were already used to this boy's outbursts. In fact, most would worry if he were not that loud. Though most denied it—this boy was greatly growing on them as time went by.

Another bowl of steaming noodles was placed in front of the eager blond. His blue eyes twinkled before he smiled and devoured the ramen before him.

"Yum yum." He chanted.

"Konnichiwa Naruto-kun."

"eh?" He turned around abruptly, noodles still dangling from his mouth.

"Sakura-chan!!" He greeted. She took a seat besides him, smiling as if nothing were wrong. Sakura also learnt that she could be a great actress today.

"Ne, where have you been?"

She shrugged, quickly thinking of an excuse, "Theres been a lot of work to do at the hospital lately."

"Mmm." Naruto responded with a full mouth.

Sakura ordered some Ramen for herself even though she was anything but hungry. Her stomach In fact turned just at the sight of food. She was in no mood to eat. She didn't worry about that however—Naruto would never notice.

She only half listened as Naruto began to blabber on about his day. Every other word which came out of his mouth seemed to be "Hinata-chan." Sakura smiled. She wondered when those two would finally come together. Although Hinata's shyness had toned down a bit, she was still hopeless. As hopeless as Naruto was clueless.

She slouched over the counter and placed her chin on her hand then sighed.

Naruto stopped eating for a second, finally noticing her mood.

_'Nows my chance...' _

"Ano, Sakura, are you alright?"

"Hm?" she replied.

Naruto frowned. It was rare, she knew, but Naruto did have his serious moments.

"What's wrong Sakura-chan?"

"Oh," she giggled and straightened up, "nothing, nothing. I was just thinking about Sai. I kinda miss him, don't you?"

There it was again, that look that Naruto and everyone always seemed to give her. He looked down towards the ground for just a second before going on normally.

"Pft, that Penis obsessed asshole? No way!" He dove into his bowl of ramen yet again.

Sakura smiled, "Come on Naruto, Sai's not _that_ bad. I miss working together as a Team."

Naruto nodded and continued eating. She didn't miss the look in his eyes however.

"Ne..." Sakura innocently placed one finger on her bottom lip, "How long ago was it that we first became a team anyways... I don't really remember, do you?"

Naruto stopped eating his ramen and just stared at his bowl for a few seconds.

"Seven years ago I believe." She noticed his hesitation. "When we were twelve."

Sakura looked down at her untouched Ramen. "Ah...So ka," She sighed. _Is that so?_

"Seems like an eternity, Ne?"

"Hai." He slowly said. Sakura noticed he had a sudden air of sadness around him. She hated to admit it, but her suspicions were just proven.

Sakura giggled, "You're my friend right Naruto?"

He looked at her quizzically and nodded.

She stood from the bench and patted her pants down. "Would you ever lie to me?" She didn't dare look him in the eye.

"Of course not Sakura-chan! Are you sure you're alright?"

She nodded. "Arigato, Naruto." _**Liar** _"Ja Ne!" She looked up and smiled at him before quickly turning and leaving.

"Chotto Matte Sakura!" Naruto called after her—but she had already turned the corner and was long gone from his sight—covered by the darkness of the night. Naruto sighed and eyed her full bowl of ramen. She hadn't even touched it.

"Damn it..." He said under his breath, dropping his chopsticks and standing up. "Somethings not right."

_'Does she know?' _

_

* * *

_

_**Bang Bang.**_

She moved from the pile of drool to a drier spot on the mountains of paper.

**BANG BANG.**

She slightly shook and opened a single eye before closing it once again and groaning.

"Tsunade baa-chan!!!" Naruto burst through the door of the Hokage's office.

"Eh?" She slightly rose her head from the stacks of paper. She squinted her eyes and shielded them from the bright light which was coming through the door.

"Naruto..." She groaned before letting her head fall back down.

Naruto crossed his arms and huffed. _Typicall. _He walked over towards the light switch and quickly brought light to the darkness of the room. He could have sworn that he heard Tsunade hiss at that instance.

"Come on you lazy, old..."

Tsunade abruptly stood and pointed a finger at him accusingly, "who do you think you are!"

Naruto grinned. _Finally._

"Tsunade-sama..."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. _'No baa-chan?' _She sat down slowly as she noticed the serious look on Naruto's face.

He closed the door to her office for privacy and sighed. "It's Sakura."

Tsunade nodded in understanding.

"I think somethings wrong. She was acting strange today, asking questions about our team and how long we had been together. Even whether I would lie to her or not."

Tsunade rested a her chin on her palm, as if deep in thought.

"I think she might have found something out. Could it be that the seal's not working anymore?"

Tsunade shook her head, "No...I don't think thats the problem." Her eyes suddenly widened... "Now that I think about it..."

"Nani?" Naruto asked quickly.

"Ever since she came back from her mission two days ago she's been acting strange."

Tsunade looked up to Naruto and smiled. His eyes were on the ground but she could see the worry in them. He was acting too mature for his own good.

"Ara ara," She snorted. "Don't act so grown up Naruto."

He looked up at her smiling face with confusion.

"Demo..."

She rose one hand simply to silence him. "I'll have a look at her tomorrow."

Naruto smiled and nodded. "Arigato Tsunade baa-chan" He shrieked before running out of her office.

Tsunade let her smile fade as Naruto left.

_'Sakura...what have you done...' _

* * *

Tsunade stood still as she gazed thorough the window of her office. She felt another presence in the room instantly but didn't bother to acknowledge it. She already knew what she would see if she turned. There would be a white mask and a black outfit with a white vest over it.

"Tsunade-sama." The Anbu member urgently stated as he kneeled and looked up at her.

"What is it?" She said with a deep voice.

"The Sound." He quickly replied. His voice seemed rather shaky.

"Nani?!" She turned around and placed her hands on the edge of her desk.

The Anbu member looked down towards the floor. "They are under attack."

Tsunades eyes blazed. "By who?" She harshly demanded.

The Anbu member shook his head. "I'm Afraid that our sources have been," he hesitated, "cut off."

Tsunade nodded understanding what he meant. She sat down. "Bring me a group together." She stated.

"Hai."

She turned her chair to face the window, "You know who." Thinking her choice over she quickly added, "Bring me Yamanaka Ino instead though."

She was once again left alone in her office.

**End Chapter 4**

* * *

Wow, this chapter was extremely easy to write for some reason -. Anyways, just to clear some things up, the fight between Orochimaru and Sasuke will be much like what happened in the recent chapter's of the Manga for those of you who read it... I'm just adding a couple of changes to it. Again, Sai is not an OC, hes an actual character in Naruto. I'm not sure if he has appeared in the anime yet though.

I hope some things about the timing of this story were cleared up in this chapter. Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke are all about 19 years old for those of you who are still confused.

Love,

_**Fates Princess**_


	5. Stuck in The Past

**Previously**

_The Anbu member looked down towards the floor. "They are under attack." _

_Tsunades eyes blazed. "By who?" She harshly demanded. _

_The Anbu member shook his head. "I'm Afraid that our sources have been," he hesitated, "cut off."_

_Tsunade nodded understanding what he meant. She sat down. "Bring me a group together." She stated._

"_Hai." _

_She turned her chair to face the window, "You know who." Thinking her choice over she quickly added, "Bring me Yamanaka Ino instead though."_

_She was once again left alone in her office. _

* * *

**Chapter 5 – Stuck in The Past**

"Get up." Sasuke repeated dryly to the unmoving body which was once Orochimaru. "You can't fool my eyes."

With that final comment, Orochimaru's dead body sprung up halfway from the floor. Its mouth opened as if it were screaming for life itself and it's eyes turned a bright red color.

Sasuke smirked. "So thats your true form huh?" Out from the mouth of the dead body, a giant snake quickly slithered out. Before Sasuke realized what was happening, the snakes body had completely surrounded him.

"Those eyes," It hissed. "I want them..."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. _'So that's what he wanted from...him.' _He put two and two together. Orochimaru was nowhere near as strong as that _murderer_—and the only way to acquire what he wanted...was from the only other living person who had it.

Orochimaru's new form grew larger and larger by the second. One of its ghastly white scales was currently about half the size of Sasuke's head. Sasuke looked into the eyes of the snake. It was still the same pitiful man.

"You sicken me."

"Come now, Sasuke-kun..." The snake stated as it let its body rise high up to the furthest extent of the ceiling. "GIVE ME THAT BODY OF YOURS!!" He screamed before shooting himself straight at Sasuke.

Sasuke quickly jumped out of the way. The snake's form was large, but he was still too slow and clumsy to keep up with him. He found himself trapped in a corner however. Before him, was the giant snake, it's scales now turning into miniature snakes.

_'what the...'_

Two of them shot out at him. He moved to the side, cutting one of them into pieces as the other hit the wall. '_Shit...they're faster.' _

Orochimaru laughed. "Give up now?"

This time, all of the snakes prepared to shoot out at him. He lost count of how many there were after about three dozen of them.

Sasuke huffed and put his sword back in its rightful place. He wasn't expecting to have to use this, but the snake had proven him wrong. He could have sworn he saw a smile forming on Orochimaru's sharp mouth. It quickly faded as Sasuke removed his white shirt however. The curse seal was quickly spreading throughout his body. Faster than he had ever witnessed before, Orochimaru noted. Orochimaru commanded his snakes to strike and they were off in a split second. They instantly covered Sasuke's entire body.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes—there had been no movement within the cocoon of snakes for the past minute. Then he heard his voice through the layers of snakes.

"Though the snake may dream of soaring through the skies—he is forever doomed to crawl upon his belly."

Orochimaru clenched his teeth. His miniature snakes all of a sudden exploded from their positions on the cocoon. They were all cut in half...bleeding at the ends. Sasuke let his new found wings expand. This new found power was a blessing of the curse. His entire body had turned to a much more sinister gray. His eyes became a deep black, and even the color if his hair changed. His wings resembled the claws of an animal. He had no blood on himself, it all pooled around him as if it were a sinister shadow.

"Dont worry snake," Sasuke looked him in the eyes, " You'll get your chance to soar." Sasuke then smirked, "In the talons of a hawk."

Orochimaru let his emotions overtake him and shot straight out at Sasuke. There was killer intent behind his eyes, but it was hopeless. Sasuke Used his sharp wings to cut the snake into three separate pieces.

"So this is the end..."

It's scaly body lay there unmoving.

Sasuke let the curse seal slowly vanish from his body. He was disappointed to say the least. He had expected at least a slightly larger challenge from Orochimaru. The man who claimed he could help him destroy..._that man_. When really, he wasn't even strong enough to destroy Sasuke.

He was about to turn and leave when he felt his muscles tense and his joints slightly shake. He kneeled down to keep from falling over. It felt as if gravity was attempting to crush his body.

"Wha..t...the..h..hell..." He grunted through clenched teeth.

His eyes widened as he noticed movement from the body of the snake. Its head rose from its place on the ground. It's sharp teeth smiled at him. Both his hair and eyes all of a sudden seemed much more wilder than before to Sasuke.

"It's finally starting to kick in huh?" The snake laughed.

"Whha..t..ar.e...you..tal..king..ab..out.." Sasuke shouted at him.

"The body fluids around you Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke let his eyes roam the room. There was blood everywhere, so what?

"It's a numbing poison."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. _'Of course! I should have known...' _He quietly cursed under his breath.

Orochimaru opened his mouth as wide as he could manage. "I cannot be destroyed!" He chanted. Sasuke saw him coming straight for him. He told his body to move, but it did not wish to comply. Sweat dripped down the side of his face as he allowed the sharingan to stare at the snake at full blast. He wouldn't loose to this worthless reptile. He wouldn't...

_'I cant..' _

_'I wont..' _

_It felt as if the world itself had come to a stop. Everything around him was completely dark—the darkest shade of black that he had seen in his short life. Yet even in this total darkness, he clearly saw what was happening around him. _

_He fell to his knees, letting the moonlight overcome his small frame. He felt his eyes burn and then the sensation of warm water running down his cheeks, yet his entire body was numb. _

_It just couldn't be. He looked at the two motionless bodies with the adoration that only a child could give his parents. He looked at them for the longest time. In his own mind, the moon gave way to the sun and everything became bright. His mother stood up and pulled him close to her. Comforting him in the way only a mother could. His father also stood and looked at him through pleased eyes. "I'm proud of you, Sasuke. You're a fine ninja." He heard him say before he blinked and the darkness came back once again. _

_That's when he realized they wouldn't stand. That's when he realized just how weak he was. "Oniichan..." He heard his shaky voice call out. "Doushite..." Why...why..._

"_Why did you...?" He looked up at his brother through a layer of tears. _

He felt his entire body twitch. Just a second before the snake would strike, he managed to slightly turn. It wasn't much, but he hoped it would be enough. Orochimaru's teeth clenched onto his side by accident. He felt his blood roughly pumping through his veins before falling to the ground...his vision blurring. The last thing he saw was the snakes head above him before everything became dark.

"Kukukuku Sasuke-kun...you're mine."

_'I..I wont...' _

_The pre-teen let his eyes fall towards the ground. He knew for certain they were growing darker and darker by the second. _

"_My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are tons of things I dislike..but I don't really like anything." _

_He felt Naruto roll his eyes and Sakura look down in shame, but continued anyway._

"_And...I don't want to use the word 'dream' but...I have an ambition."_

_He looked up towards his new sensei. "The resurrection of my clan and...to kill a certain man." _

_All three members of his team looked at him with wide eyes—each of them with a different thought running through their mind. None of them questioned him however..._

_That was...when he realized he wasn't alone anymore._

_

* * *

_

Sakura laid back on her bed, not bothering to turn any lights on. She had her hands tucked behind her head as she stared up at the Ceiling. Her eyes shone brightly. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep even if she attempted.

She was pondering what it was that she should feel. Four years of her life had passed by her...and it had all been a lie. All the people she called her friends and that became close to her...lied to her. The looks the villagers would give her all of a sudden made perfect sense. They pitied her.

_Poor little Sakura._

She felt a very new feeling within herself. One she wasn't so sure she had ever felt this deeply before. It took her a few moments to figure out just what it was—but then it hit her. It was _hate._ She hated all those who lied to her. And that list at the current moment, was a very large one indeed.

She stopped for a second to ponder everything she had ever been told about Uchiha Sasuke. Had that been a lie as well? Whatever it was that was happening, she knew he was one of the major reasons. After reading through the records countless times...she began to notice that it was only he who had been erased.

She wasn't quite sure what to do or who to talk to. She was certain that anyone she spoke to would just continue to lie to her. She wanted the truth... and at the moment, it seemed that Uchiha Sasuke himself would be the only person who could give it to her.

She frowned...he wasn't too cooperative last time she had seen him however. Sakura wondered how many buttons could be pushed before an S class missing-nin chopped your head off. Something told her it wasn't many.

Sakura groaned and turned to her side.

_Life had just become a whole lot more complicated than before._

She reached up to her necklace with one hand and stared blankly at the depths of her apartment.

"Meow." She heard her cat call.

Ona jumped on the bed and walked over to where Sakura lay. She rubbed her small body against Sakura's as she purred. Sakura closed her eyes and smiled, letting one of her hands reach out and pet the eager little feline.

After a few minutes, she felt the cat begin to move away from her.

Sakura propped one eye open. "Hey, where are you going?" She called out to her.

Sakura watched slightly amused as the cat leapt from the side of the bed to her bedside table. After walking in a complete circle on the table, she found interest in the small gap between the wall and the table.

Sakura giggled as Ona slipped one paw into the hole and moved it back and forth violently. This went on for a few minutes before Sakura heard a crash. She looked towards the cat to find it retrieving it's paw and running _innocently_ away.

"What was that...?" Sakura said in a low voice. She slowly stood from her bed and kneeled down in front of the table. She pulled it further away from the wall with little effort.

**Bang.**

She heard another noise. It Sounded as if there was a rather large object behind the table. She stood and slowly peered over the edge.

"Oh..." Sakura reached her hand into the gap and grasped on to a metal object. She held it in both hands and swiftly blew over it to clear it of dust.

She remembered this now. It was the picture which had not to long ago fallen back there. Sakura stared down at her supposed teammates and scoffed. **'Liars.'** With little effort, she threw it behind her and heard it crash somewhere in her apartment. As she attempted to push the table back, she found it wouldn't budge. It was as if one of its legs was being blocked by something.

She peered over the edge again and furrowed her brow. It was hard to see in the darkness, but there was something else down there. After turning the light on, she noticed it was a small box—about the size of a book. She pulled it out from behind the table and sat down on her bed with it.

It was a white box tied with a thin red ribbon.

Using her hand, she dusted the top of it off. There was something written on the left side of the box. Sakura took a deep breath before blowing a large gust of air out of her mouth. She coughed as all of the dust came into her lungs. Her eyes watered slightly due to the sudden irritation. After it cleared she eagerly looked down.

_**Sakura,** _Read the first line. She blinked for a few seconds before continuing. '_Is this for me?'_

_**Please only open this if you are unhappy.**_

She frowned as she realized something. The handwriting on the box...was her own. Was this suppose to be some sort of trick? _'Am I happy?' _

Sakura reached onto the bow created with the ribbon and pulled it apart. For some reason, she found it necessary to take a deep breath as she pulled the top off of the box. She hesitated a second before looking down at the contents within.

Her confusion only grew as she did however. There was...a folded piece of paper on top of a silk red cloth. She reached in and pulled the paper out, examining it a second before opening it.

It was a letter. She released her breath. It was again written in her handwriting.

_'What is all this...?' _

She sighed and began reading._'Only one way to find out.'_

_After thinking about what Tsunade-sama said to me, I realized this would be for the best. I'm sorry. I'm not a very strong person...I never have been, but I do hope to one day be just that. Even as I told myself that I would leave it all behind and just move on, I find myself writing this letter. I suppose this will really be my last memory, so I'll try to make it as clear as possible. _

_It hurts though...right now...knowing that in a short matter of time everything will be forgotten and replaced. I'm not sure if it hurts more than remembering the past though. Please don't be mad with everyone. They are all so dear to me. They were the first to disagree with this...and they tried so hard to help without having this happen—but its was no use. _

_Here goes..._

_After Sasuke-kun left, we were all devastated. Especially Naruto and I. The night he left still replays daily in my head—I still wonder what it all meant. After his departure, Naruto promised me he would bring Sasuke-kun back. You see, Sasuke-kun left to find Orochimaru because he wanted to become stronger to kill someone. I tried to stop him...I did with all my heart, but Sasuke-kun was already lost. Naruto came back almost dead when he attempted to rescue Sasuke the day after he left...which was when everyone found out—though I knew before. I, more than anyone else, knew what he was going to do after what happened in the Chuunin exam. For the longest time, I blamed myself. Because I was too weak to stop him that night. So I trained. Both Naruto and I worked harder and harder after he left. It was all so we could rescue him._

_And life went on for two years. I smiled occasionally and tried to act as normal as possible—it seemed to fool everyone, but every day I would just go home and cry. Naruto too had left with Jiraiya to train. I understood that it was necessary...but I was now more alone than ever. _

_It was after our second attempt to rescue Sasuke-kun that I realized something. We were being very selfish, Naruto and I. We always said Sasuke was our friend...yet there we were working hard to be able to MAKE him do something against his will. Sasuke-kun once said that it was his dream to kill a certain someone. Why should I or anyone else get in the way of his dream. He had already lost so much...I would not call myself responsible for making him lose his last bit of happiness. Please don't hate Sasuke-kun. Don't think of him as a criminal. He's a great person ya-know. He was always kinda cold to me, but he never failed to protect me—and I would always do the same for him. No second thoughts. No regrets. _

_I had to put an end to the constant chase for Sasuke. I didn't think I could handle it anymore. It hurts like hell. It does. And even as I tried to move on, I found that I couldn't—I was always stuck in the past. Then I found a solution one day. It was in one of the medical scrolls I was organizing. Tsunade explained it to me. It was a special seal she herself had created. It would enable the altering of a persons memory. I had finally found the solution. _

_I hope I will be able to find happiness and love. And I further hope that Sasuke-kun fulfilled his dream. I wish I could have had the chance to help him. To repay him for everything he did for me, even though he didn't have to. _

_Though, If I'm now reading this...I guess things didn't really go as I hoped they would. Maybe I was foolish in making Tsunade agree to this. Like I said...I'm weak...forgive me. These Item's are important to me...They show it as it really was, ne?_

_No more tears Sakura Haruno! After today you're a new person. So smile...please..._

_Ganbatte! _

The last word soon became impossible to read. It blurred into a mess of black ink as a tear drop came crashing down on it. The area of the paper around it became almost transparent as the salty drop tore through it.Sakura ran her thumb over the last word, wiping the layer of water off of it. She folded the paper back up and held it close to her—letting more tears seep down her face.

Her eyes burnt as the water left them. The feeling of tears was strange on her face—she couldn't remember the last time she had cried...and at this moment, she wished more than anything that she could. The tears wear sour on her lips as she tasted them—her lower lip was slightly trembling.

Her heart beat faster than ever in her chest. She cried because she hated herself at that moment. Hated herself for hating others—those who cared about her. For being so weak. She had a second chance according to her letter—but she had screwed it all up.

Sakura peered down at the white box and removed the red cloth.

_These Items are important to me...They show it as it really was, ne?_

Sakura looked at everything inside of the box through a layer of tears. She reached in and pulled out a picture frame...much like the one she had earlier broke. She stared at the picture and cried even harder.

There was Kakashi, smiling with that eye of his. Sakura slightly smiled, he still looked the same. She traced a finger over her twelve year old self. It looked as if she was smiling or giggling in the picture. Sakura had never thought about it before...but she didn't really have any pictures of herself at that age. She wondered for a second what it was that her younger self had done with them. Pictures were no good for hiding things—especially not memories. Were it not for the orange suit, she would have had a hard time recognizing the blond boy. He looked so different back then. In the picture he seemed to be glaring daggers at the other boy...Sasuke. Sakura let her finger trace over him as well. He seemed to be surprised, or rather annoyed by the photographer. She wondered who it could have been.

She placed the picture frame on her table where the old one had once been. She decided she liked this one much better. It felt so right to her. She only wished she could remember that day. Looking back inside the box, she noticed that there were many other pictures loosely lying all over the place. On top of them, there was a a leaf hitaiate. It had a scratch running straight through the center of the leaf symbol. She wondered who it belonged to. _'Maybe it was Sasuke's...' _

After wiping her eyes roughly, she continued to look through the pictures. There was one where she, Naruto, and Sasuke where in what appeared to be a hospital. All three were bandaged up. Sakura noticed her eye was black and swollen, and her usually long hair was almost completely gone. Naruto smiled wickedly into the camera. She and Sasuke sat in the background. Sasuke stared down at his lap, while she looked at him with concerned eyes.

In another, she and Ino sat in what looked to be a hallway. They were on the floor next to each other as they looked into the camera and smiled. They had their arms around each others shoulders—both looked equally beat up. Sakura noticed though, that again, her hair was extremely short—only now, Ino's was as well.

After an hour of looking through the box, she closed it back up and set it aside. She wiped the last few tears from her eyes.

_No more tears Sakura Haruno!_

Sakura had her mind set. She wanted those memories back. No matter how painful they may have been.

* * *

Tsunade eyed the group before her.

"Neji, Shikamaru, Naruto, Lee, Ino, Hinata...do you understand the mission?"

They all nodded simultaneously. "Good." She picked up a folder from her desk and handed it to Shikamaru. "You're the leader. This is all the information we have on what's happening."

Shikamaru took it and nodded. "You're to leave immediately." Tsunade hesitated before continuing. "We have reason to believe _he_ may still be in the area. Be careful."

They all understood her and turned to leave.

Naruto was the one who opened the door to her office. They all stopped once they saw who was heading in their direction.

"How troublesome..." Shikamaru commented, earning him a slap to the head from Ino.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto looked at her through worried eyes. She seemed to be normal, but he noticed her eyes were slightly red and her cheeks and nose had a hint of pink on them.

"Ano," She stated as she reached the door, "whats going on?"

They all looked back and forth at each other searching for the answer to give her. When none was found, they turned to Tsunade.

Tsunade sighed, she'd get them back for that later.

"They're going on a mission Sakura."

Sakura looked confused. "Why am I not going? Aren't I the one who usually goes with this team?"

Tsunade shook her head, "I need you here."

Sakura knew they were all lying. Instead of becoming annoyed at the looks they gave her though, she smiled and nodded.

"Ah, alright."

They all looked at her strangely, wondering if this was an impostor. Had it been the real Sakura, she would have continued to push for the right to accompany them on the mission.

"Ganbatte." She cheered for them.

Naruto leaned over to whisper something in Ino's ear, "I told you she was acting strange." Both of their eyes narrowed on her.

"Tsunade-sama, may I speak with you alone please?"

Tsunade nodded. Everyone left leaving them alone. Sakura took a seat across from the Godaime. Her smile slightly faded and she looked down at her lap.

Tsunade sighed as she looked at her apprentice. "What have you done Sakura...?"

Sakura shook her head and shrugged, "I still don't know." She looked up to Tsunade. She felt her eyes burn and instantly her vision became blurry. "Please, Tsunade-sama...I want _them_ back."

Tsunade looked away from Sakura. _'So she does know.' _

_Tsunade looked beyond angry. _

"_HOW COULD YOU EVEN THINK OF SUCH A THING SAKURA!" She scolded her young student. Her request was beyond absurd. She found it hard to stay angry at Sakura however. Her student had tears flowing freely from her eyes, but she stood her ground. She still had that determined look Tsunade admired. _

"_Please, Tsunade-sama...I just want to move on." A sob escaped from her lips. "I-I...I don't think I can handle it anymore, gomen. I'm just a failure."_

_She looked down at her with adoration and sighed. "You realize its not reversible?"_

_Sakura nodded. "That's fine."_

_Tsunade crossed her arms and looked away. "Think about it for a day or two Sakura, alright? Don't go making decisions you'll regret later on."_

_She watched Sakura as she closed her eyes and smiled...it had been a long time since she had seen that smile. "Arigato, Tsunade-sama."_

"It can't be done Sakura..." She simply stated.

Sakura's eyes widened. "Doushite?!" Would she have to remain this way forever?

Tsunade looked back at her with sad eyes. "Memories are fragile things, Sakura. Messing with them once causes enough damage. If I were to remove that seal...I could almost guarantee that _everything_ would be lost."

Tsunade noticed Sakura's eyes shook violently as she stared down at her lap.

"I see." Her voice sounded worn out. "Sumimasen...I was fooli-"

"Urusai!" Tsunade huffed. Sakura looked up at her, a little shocked at her words.

"You and Naruto both...acting so grown up." Tsunade smiled. "Go rest, Sakura. We'll talk about it tomorrow, ne?"

There it was again, that smile. "Arigato, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade watched her closely as she stood and left. _'You're already much stronger than I was, Sakura. Don't do anything foolish...'_

_

* * *

_

She was beyond tired and worn out, but there was still one more thing she needed to know. Before she left the Hokage's tower, she made sure she ran into someone. Though she couldn't see his face as she neared him, his Chakra was enough proof for her.

"Hey Seiichi-senpai." Sakura greeted as she stood next to him.

A white cat mask looked down at her. "Sakura? What are you doing here so late??"

She scratched the back of her head and gave him a tired look, "I was suppose to assist Tsunade with the gathering of information for the mission underway, but I'm afraid I missed the briefing..."

Sakura sighed. "She'll be angry with me." And she lowered her head, partially to hide her smile. Everyone knew that if you needed information, Seiichi was the person to stalk.

"Oh, sorry to hear that Sakura."

She shrugged, "It's alright I guess." She let her head rise slightly to look at him. "Ne, you wouldn't happen to know what's going on would you?"

Sakura watched smugly as he placed his hands in his pockets. _'YES!'_

"You could say I've heard things...yes." He replied to her in a low voice.

"What is it that's going on Seiichi-senpai. Tsunade seemed really worried."

He leaned back against the closest wall. "I hear that the Sound are under attack."

Sakura lowered her eyebrows. "The sound?" _'Isn't that the village Sasuke is suppose to be a part of?' _Thinking back to the special lesson on him, she wished she had paid closer attention.

Seiichi nodded. "It seems to be internal at this point though. Some say Orochimaru is dead...so naturally, all of those criminals are fighting for control."

Sakura gasped, "Orochimaru's dead?" She had heard so many stories about the legendary sanin. She had practically thought him to be immortal.

Seiichi scoffed. "Supposedly."

Sakura crossed her arms under her chest. "But who killed him?"

She saw him look away for a few seconds in thought before looking back down at her. "They believe..." He started a bit hesitant. "It was Uchiha Sasuke."

Sakura tried to act as if the name meant nothing to her and nodded. "I see."

She backed up a few paces and turned. "Arigato Seiichi-senpai for your help."

* * *

She sat in the comfort of her apartment staring at the white box which sat across from her on her bed. Sakura sighed. "Ne, what am I suppose to do?" She asked the small box with confused eyes. Her mind was a complete mess at the moment. She was attempting to figure out which of her memories were real and which were fake...but it was no use. There were just too many of them.

_I wish I could have had the chance to help him. To repay him for everything he did for me, even though he didn't have to. _

"Is that what I should do?" She laid back on her bed with wild eyes.

There was a nagging voice in the back of her head telling her just that. It said there was nothing left for her here...but she didn't feel like she could just leave everything behind. All of her friends, her teachers, her parents.

_They are all so dear to me._

"Sasuke..." She let his name escape from her lips. _'You really are a mystery to me.'_ She still wondered just how close she had been with him. From the tone of her letter, it may have been a little closer than she would have liked right now.

**'Dont just sit around woman!'**

_'huh?'_

**'You know what you have to do...so stop stalling and just do it already!'**

_'Demo...I can't just..'_

**'It was our dream to help him ya-know?' **

_'Ne, do you know something about the past?' _

But the voice didn't come back. _'I must be crazy.'_ She rose from her bed and gathered every necessary item she could get her hands on. Medical supplies, weapons, clothing...she placed everything neatly inside of a travel bag. Before closing it, she glanced over towards her bed. It was the picture frame of her team that had caught her eye. She also decided to take that along for some reason.

Sakura tied her hair back at the nape of her neck and dressed in her usual attire: A red sleeveless shirt with black shorts and a white skirt. She strapped the travel bag onto her back and then threw a cloak around her body.

"Sumimasen...mina."

The night seemed to be in favor of Sakura. It seemed to be a little darker than all of the others. If you looked close enough, you could see a small shadow moving through the alleys of Konoha—but no one seemed to notice. If you looked even closer, you could see that shadow smiling.

She stood outside the gates of Konoha, saying her last goodbyes. "But...where am I suppose to go?" As she turned back around...the world all of a sudden seemed too large a place. Her heart though, told her just where to go. It was the same place that it had already brought her to twice.

They were forever destined to meet, him and her, under the blossoming cherry trees.

* * *

Sasuke placed his hand on his side, adding some pressure to the wound. He removed his hand for a second and looked at it. His skin color couldn't even be seen anymore...it was all blood red. His wound was anything but fatal...but it wouldn't stop bleeding.

_'Shit...'_

He let his body rest against a tree as he slowly slid down to the ground. He wondered for a second what it was that had told him to come to this place.

He seemed to enjoy its scent for the first time as he let his eyes close.

_'Reminds me of...'_

**End Chapter 5**

* * *

Alrighty people, from here on...the SakuSasu goodness starts :) ..so be ready next chapter.

As I said, a lot of the battle between Sasuke and Orochi is like what happened in 345 & 344, with a few changes of my own. What happenes after Sasuke was bit and then collapsed will be mentioned at a later point in the story for those of you who are wondering how he got out of the _lair_ and to the forest. Saiichi is just an OC...I'm not sure if he'll have any other parts in the story yet though.

And here are a couple of Japanese words I used that some may not be familiar with.

Oniichan -Big brother.

Doushite- Why?

Ganbatte - Good luck! (Literally "Do your best")

Ne - "Isn't that right!" Put at the end of a sentence. "Hey, ..." Put at the beginning of a sentence.

hitaiate - Forehead protectors.

Ano - um

Arigato - Thank you.

Sumimasen - Sorry.

Urusai - Shut up!

Senpai - Upper classman.

Mina - Everyone.

Love,

_**Fates Princess**_


	6. No Thanks?

**Previously**

_They were forever destined to meet, him and her, under the blossoming cherry trees._

_Sasuke placed his hand on his side, adding some pressure to the wound. He removed his hand for a second and looked at it. His skin color couldn't even be seen anymore...it was all blood red. His wound was anything but fatal...but it wouldn't stop bleeding._

_'Shit...'_

_He let his body rest against a tree as he slowly slid down to the ground. He wondered for a second what it was that had told him to come to this place._

_He seemed to enjoy its scent for the first time as he let his eyes close. _

_'Reminds me of...'_

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 6 – No thanks?**

_**Pant pant.**_

She looked up towards the sky. In a few hours, the sun would rise. She was tired and out of breath, but continued running anyway. She felt stupid—rushing for probably nothing—but something didn't feel right. The feeling started when she came face to face with the group Tsunade had sent out on a 'mission' to the Sound. The way she had done it was so secretive. Sakura suspected they had a greater mission to accomplish than they let on.

Thinking back to her letter, she remembered that it said that Naruto was always trying to rescue Sasuke. Maybe that was part of their task—to bring him back. Sakura chuckled. A week ago she would have been pleased to hear that her friends caught a missing-nin. And now...she found herself believing that she had to stop them from doing so.

_**Pant pant. **_

Sakura couldn't remember anything about Sasuke. She didn't even have the faintest recognition of his presence anywhere in her memories. But she was alright with that. Her letter was enough reason for her to want to help him. She thought that maybe if she were around him more, than she might have the chance of retrieving some of those memories. Whenever she was around him, he felt _familiar_...but that was all.

Was is really enough? She hoped it would be...

She arrived at the forest of cherry blossoms just as the sun tore through the darkness of the sky. As she walked down the narrow path she couldn't help but to stare at the trees around her. It was really beautiful the way that the sun's rays made the cherry blossoms glow. Instead of pink, they now looked to be a pale white color.

"Sugoi!" She shrieked.

The wind tore through the trees, attempting to pull the unsuspecting cherry blossoms along with it. No matter how hard the blossoms refused though, the wind eventually got to them. They left the comfort of the branches and other fellow blossoms to fly high into the sky. The wind was sometimes cold and unchanging. It would suddenly leave without notice—leaving the cherry blossom to float down towards the ground on its own. But one thing was for certain—it always came back, year after year, without fail. It was sometimes weak...but there.

As Sakura walked deeper into the forest, she felt a presence overcome her. It was a very weak one—so weak in fact that she couldn't make out its location. Her eyes shifted through the entire forest, making sure to not miss a single opening. Then, she spotted him.

Maybe she should have thought like a ninja and approached cautiously, but as she saw a fragile body silently laying by a tree, she instantly ran over to it. Her instincts had been right—it was Uchiha Sasuke. She first noticed that his color was slowly draining from his body. He looked almost like a ghost. She placed two fingers on the side of his neck, checking for a pulse.

_**Thump...**_

_**Thump...**_

She took her hand away and frowned. He had a pulse, but a very week one. She wrapped her arms around his waist and slightly shifted him to lay back on the nearby tree. Sakura took note that there was already blood on the tree beforehand, and it seemed to have been dry.

'_how long has he been here!?' _

As she removed her arms from around him, she gasped. A large portion of her left arm was now a light crimson color. There was a large blood stain that took up most of the side of his shirt.

Sakura grimaced. It never mattered how many wounds she had seen in her time as a medic—they never failed to make her stomach turn. She was suddenly glad that she had decided to bring her medical supplies along for the journey. She removed her cloak and bag and placed them off to the side. Reaching into the bag, she pulled out a light brown bottle and bandages.

She removed his white shirt and grinned, "Sorry Sasuke." She wiped her hand clean of his blood and then ripped a small part of his shirt off. She wet the cloth with the liquid within the bottle and slowly started to wipe the areas around his wound. His face became a little troubled as she did so. His eyes seemed to clench together tighter—if that was at all possible—and his lips slightly parted as he scowled.

Sakura frowned. The blood wouldn't stop.

She placed both of her hands over his body, examining his insides. Her frowned deepened. Poison.

She wasn't sure she had enough chakra to be able to remove it from his body, but she had to try. Her hands began to glow a light green color as she narrowed her eyes on his form. She could see the poison throughout his entire system. There was so much of it. She was glad it was a common poison though, and not one more complicated. Had it been, she was sure Sasuke wouldn't even alive at this moment. It resembled the venom of a snake. Unlike most, this one did not work or spread right away. It's victims would be killed slowly—suffering first.

It was a cruel thing. Though, she realized the animal which it had originated from really had no say in what it's body produced. It just...was...

She worked non-stop for two hours and a half. Sweat poured down the side of her face. She reached one hand up to wipe it and smiled. The worst part of the poison was gone. She was certain his body could fight the rest off with little trouble. She looked down at her hands. Her palms were burnt and bleeding in some places; it hurt to even move them. Her chakra levels were completely depleted at this point.

The wound on his side had long ago stopped bleeding, but now she couldn't close it up. She decided to use traditional methods of healing instead. After thoroughly cleaning it, she wrapped it up with the bandages. Sakura sat back and studied her handy work.

His face no longer seemed to be troubled, and the color was slowly coming back to his skin. Sakura slowly laid his body back on the ground. She let his head rest on her bag and placed her cloak over his body.

She sat there for a long time just staring at his face and enjoying the feel of the wind through her hair. It was strange looking at his sleeping form. The other times she had seen him he always had an emotionless face and dark eyes. But now, every emotion that passed through him, she could clearly see. He even smiled for a few seconds once—but it was long gone before anyone had a chance to see.

_Please don't hate Sasuke-kun. Don't think of him as a criminal. _

Looking at him, she realized she probably wouldn't be able to hate him even if she tried. He was annoying though. The most annoying boy in the world.

She laid herself back against the tree, fighting to keep her eyes open. It was no use though, with every second that past, her lids seemed to become heavier and heavier. Just before they finally closed..she began to wonder why it was she had called him _annoying._ The thought soon disappeared as she found herself surrounded by darkness and warmly accepted it.

* * *

_For the first time in his life, darkness was the very last thing he wanted. He tried desperately to open his eyes, but they didn't seem to want to comply to their masters demands. It wasn't until he felt something beneath him begin to move that he realized his eyes were already open. He looked down, getting an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Rose colored veins beneath him shifted and exploded into a bloody mess. _

_It was alive._

"_Huh..." he took a small step back only to have the process repeated. It was then that he realized how difficult it was to move. Almost as if he were glued to the floor. "What is this place?"_

_It was at the sound of his voice that the ground began to slither a little faster than it previously had. It seemed to concentrate into a large ball a few feet away from him. It wasn't long until a man with the face of a snake appeared as the tentacles comprising the floor moved aside. _

"_An alternate dimension inside me..." _

_Sasuke looked around him with a grimace. "And the place where I carry out the soul transfer ritual." _

_'So this is what it feels like to be in the belly of a snake.' He found it to be less appealing than he could have ever imagined. Sasuke shifted his weight and slightly chuckled. _

"_And for a second I thought I was in hell..." _

_The snake narrowed it's eyes and allowed it's slimy tongue to slip past it's lips. "It's already started..."_

_It was then that Sasuke's body began to feel uncomfortable. It felt as if something was moving freely within him...practically eating him alive. The tentacles all around him rose and began to cover his frozen body. More and more faces appeared around him the same way as Orochimaru had. All of them had their eyes closed and were completely pale. He couldn't even begin to count the numerous victims all around him—but one thing was certain... He had already decided, he would not be one of them. _

_He turned his glare to Orochimaru who gladly returned it. The snake-man was now smiling widely—contently awaiting his prize. As the seconds past, Sasuke could feel himself fall further and further into darkness. His vision was almost completely covered by the tentacles. _

"_**You're weak." **His brother's familiar voice rang over and over in his head. Sasuke closed his eyes. **"Why are you so weak? Because you lack it."**_

_He took quick deep breaths for a few second. Sasuke felt something within him burn. **"Hatred that is."**_ _As he opened his eyes once again, he felt the world around him in a completely new way. Everything seemed to still, as if time itself had come to a stop. _

_Orochimaru's grin grew wider as he stared deeper into Sasuke's eyes. 'Its happening again...' The snake man allowed himself to chuckle. "Those eyes...Those eyes will be mine."_

_Sasuke slowly let his eyes fall back on Orochimaru's. The snake's own bound body was slowly coming closer, his tentacles reaching out for Sasuke._

"_**You're not even worth killing." **Sasuke allowed the curse mark to trigger within himself. It began to quickly spread all over his body and the tentacles which bound him. The once rose colored flesh began to turn to a much darker gray as it too became completely consumed by the power of the curse mark. The tentacles around him became looser and looser until they finally released him of their hold. It wasn't long until Sasuke held control of everything around him. _

"_This can't be happening! I created this dimension! There's no way..." The snake-man stuttered as he attempted to move away with no avail. His eyes shook back and forth, unable to break contact with Sasuke's._

"_Orochimaru...against my eyes, all of your Jutsu's are powerless."_

_Orochimaru felt his own dimension began to eat him away. It tore into his flesh and finished the last bit of life he had left. "I refuse...to let this happen!!" He puffed out a deep breath._

_Sasuke looked at the man with pity._

"_I am Orochimaru! I am immortal! I WILL NOT DIE HERE!" _

"_**When you have the same eyes as I do, come before me." **_

_Sasuke closed his eyes and smiled, turning away from the dead snake._

_

* * *

_

He shot up from his position on the ground, panting deeply as sweat rolled down down the side of his face. Sasuke immediately regretted the action however. The burning sensation of light on his eyes was bad enough, but added on with the pain he felt through every inch of his body, he found himself on the verge of wailing out in pain. He was satisfied with biting harshly on his lower lip as he laid back down.

Sasuke sat back as his eyes adjusted to the light of early morning—the previous day's memories finally coming back to him. He lifted the hand which covered his eyes up and stared at it—tightening it into a fist.

'_why am I still alive...?'_

He could've slapped himself as realization finally hit in. He grabbed the cloth which covered him and lifted it slightly. He found his torso to be wrapped neatly with fresh bandages.

_'Someone...saved me?'_

Sasuke attempted to get up once again, but his body was still too weak. He realized he barely had any chakra left within himself. He turned his head to look all around himself—searching for the mysterious fool who had helped him. As he let his head fall to his left, he froze. His eyes shrunk as they met the lightest color of pink he had ever seen. He parted his lips to say something, but nothing escaped from the depths of his dry throat.

_'Sakura...?'_

She looked so peaceful as she laid against one of the cherry blossom trees. It was difficult to turn his eyes away from her. Maybe even more difficult than defeating Orochimaru had been. Sasuke frowned—he didn't like the feeling at all. As he closed his eyes to block her out, he found them open once again and staring at her. She was lightly smiling, her lips a light pink color, much like her hair; which at the current moment framed her delicate face. The way the sun light shone through the layers of cherry blossoms gave her an almost ethereal glow. He found it hard to breathe—though in his mind it was blamed on his injuries. His frown was so deep it was practically inhuman. He would have found it much more pleasant to have just awoken to the sight of his blood. He wanted her gone, but she would not budge. Just like before...she seemed to always be by his side.

This girl would never learn. He knew he should have killed her. He had two chances, but just let them slip by. She was like a deadly virus that had to be removed. He was too close, much too close to let his plans crumble to the floor.

He quickly turned his head and gazed towards the canopy of trees above him as he saw her stir. Through the corner of his eye, he watched as she lazily opened her eyes and quickly rubbed them with her hands. He gulped as he heard the mewl which escaped her lips as she stretched her back. His eyes drifted away again.

"Oh..." She slowly began, "You're finally awake?"

He turned his face to look at her but didn't reply. He felt like moving away as she crawled on all fours over to where he laid. She sat down next to him—a little closer than he personally liked—and stared down at him. She brought one hand above his face. Noticing her movement, Sasuke quickly grasped on to her wrist and held her hand in place. He felt her slightly shiver before trying to pull away. This was his chance, she was so close. It would only take on swift movement to knock her out and finish her. But he could only seem to glare at her.

She had fear in her eyes, clouded with uncertainty. They were the type of eyes he preferred from those around him. It let him know that she knew he was in power. He noticed though, they were also slightly red, as if she were tired.

"U-Um..." She slightly stuttered.

"..." He wasn't about to waste his breath on her.

"I just wan't to check your temperature." Her voice was not at all like before. It was much softer and almost shy. Was this the same girl who he had fought with only a few days ago? It was as if all of her confidence was stripped away and she were left nude in front of a stranger. Maybe that is what he was to her. After all, she herself had proven to have no knowledge of him from her past. He liked the thought. No more Sakura or Naruto chasing after him, which he realized they hadn't in years. If it was really over...then what the hell was she doing here?

No memory and she still couldn't stop pestering him. The gods were cruel.

Sasuke looked away from her and at her small hand. It was almost half the size of his own. It was hard to picture a sword or even kunai in such delicate hands. He noticed, however, that there were several burns present on her palm, and even dried blood here and there.

"Who did this to you, Sakura?" His voice grew dark and his eyes as well.

Sakura's body froze for a second. _Who did this to you, Sakura?_ She played his comment over and over in her head. For some reason, it sounded strangely familiar. She thought nothing more of it as she quickly pulled her hand free of his grasp a little harder than before and stared down at them herself.

"Oh..um...you did..."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"No .. no ..I.." She felt strange around him all of a sudden. It wasn't like it had been just over a day ago. After reading her letter and looking through all of those pictures, she wondered if she would ever be herself again. Something deep inside of her provided her with an answer. _'Why would I want to?'_

"I mean...I overdid myself a little while healing you." She stared down at her burnt hands with sad eyes. It still hurt to move them.

Sasuke turned his head away from her, cursing himself for being so weak as to require the help of another. Especially Sakura. He let a deep breath escape his lips as he closed his eyes. He knew the whole world would be laughing at the great Sasuke Uchiha. He'd never felt so powerless before.

He went rigid at the feel of her hand on his forehead. It was warmth like his body had never felt before. He wanted to push her away again like before, but it was over before it even started. The warmth of her hand was gone and replaced with the cool feel of the wind once again. He felt uncomfortable around her—knowing that if he were to look at her, two green eyes would be right there to look back.

He flinched as he felt her hands on his chest. He didn't look at her, but instead at her movements. He wasn't sure if she was doing it on purpose, but her pace was excruciatingly slow. Sakura griped onto the edge of the cloak which covered Sasuke's body. He fingernails grazed over the ripples of his muscles causing the youngest Uchiha to slightly shiver.

Finding it in him to look at her, all he was met with was a distant stare—one that he was very much familiar with himself.

"Sakura?"

She seemed to snap out of her trance. The color returned to her bright eyes as she looked at him.

"Hm?"

"What are you doing." It wasn't a comment, more like a demand. She noticed his voice was so cold, it almost stung.

"I couldn't finish healing your wound because I ran out of chakra, but I should be fine now." She gripped on the the end of the bandage and slowly lifted it, sliding it out from beneath him when ever it became necessary.

He pushed her hands away with as much force as he could muster. "I'm fine." He didn't fail to notice the slightly hurt look on her face as she gripped the ground behind her to keep herself from falling.

She sat there starring at his cold eyes before feeling something burn within her. '_That egotistical bastard!' _She let her nails sink into the dirt as she gave him the dirtiest look she could manage. She had piratically saved his damned life and he couldn't even mutter a 'thanks Sakura' in return. No, he had to be a man and put his tough act back in place.

Sasuke was sure he heard a growl escape her. Where the hell was the uncertainty and fear in her eyes? Looking as deep as he could, he found it gone.

"No, you're not! It could get infected. I need to heal it." She brought her hands closer to him and he proceeded to push her away again.

"I said I'm fine." He made sure to let his voice rise a little this time.

Sakura crossed her hands under her chest and narrowed her eyes on him. "Why do you have to be so stubborn?!"

He looked away. "Heal your hands."

"Wha-?" She looked at the burns on her hands; wondering for just a second why he even cared. "Its fin-"

"Just do it."

"No." She was curious as to just how far she could push him. In the back of her mind she wondered if he hadn't killed her before just because she was his ex-teammate. That had to be it.

Sasuke was in no mood to play a word games with her. "Sakura..."

"Urusai already, geez!"

She gripped onto the last bit of bandage and pulled it off perhaps a bit too roughly as she noticed him wince.

_'Serves him right.'_

Sasuke had no choice but to sit back and watch as she healed him. It was fascinating the way her hands began to glow—much like the color of her eyes. She was so concentrated on her task that he was sure the world could come to an end at this moment and she would never realize it. It was strange—the feelings which passed through him as she healed him. His body tingled under her hands, yet she didn't even touch him. The sensation of her chakra passing throughout his body was unlike anything words could describe. It was only a matter of minutes before she pulled away and smiled.

Sasuke slowly propped himself up on his elbows and looked at his side. The bite that once use to cover it was now reduced to merely a small scar. He was shocked beyond words. She must have indeed become a great medic-nin as he had once heard Orochimaru mention.

He looked back at her as he felt her hand come near him again. In the center of her palm was a small pill, and in her other hand a canteen of what he assumed was water.

"It'll help restore your strength quicker."

He swallowed the pill down and sighed as the cool water ran down his eager throat. Sasuke stared at her as she took his head rest and began rummaging through it, attempting to organize things apparently.

"Why are you helping me?"

The question caught her off guard. She stopped her movement and looked at him, searching for an answer. '_Why am I helping him?' _Just two or three days ago she had practically tried to kill him—she would have if she were stronger than him, he was after all a criminal and it was her duty to capture him. And now, thanks to a couple of words quickly scribbled down in a moment of passion, she sat staring at him, with no words coming out of her mouth.

_I wish I could have had the chance to help him._

Sasuke watched her distant eyes return as she shrugged. It seemed that every other day he would meet a new Sakura—each with a different set of emotions and values.

Her lips slowly curved into a small smile. "I-I... **_want _**to help you, Sasuke."

Sasuke allowed his eyes to remain closed after he blinked. "I'm not going back Sakura. You should stop wasting your time."

He noticed her smile hadn't faded when he opened his eyes. She wasn't crying, or hugging him, or begging him. None of the above. He shifted uncomfortably as she shook her head.

In the back of her mind, Sakura knew he was referring to Konoha. He wouldn't return to Konoha. But she didn't expect him to.

"No. I want to help you fulfill your dream." She was clueless as to what it was, but willing to help either way. "Whatever it is."

"My dream...?" He slowly whispered.

"_I don't want to use the word 'dream' but...I have an ambition. The resurrection of my clan and...to kill a certain man." _

He allowed his body to lay down. "You don't know what you're talking about. Leave me."

He watched her shrug once again. "You're right. I don't know...anything at all in fact, but I still want to help you. I-I think..." she stopped for a few seconds, "...thats what I really wanted to do before I lost my memories."

Sasuke huffed, "Why not just break the seal." It was all a matter of common sense. _'This Sakura must not be as bright as the old one.'_

Sakura wasn't the least bit surprised that he had already figured out about her seal. She sighed, "If I do..."

He noticed her voice held a hint of sorrow. "Then everything will be completely erased." She sourly chuckled. "Memories are delicate things you know?"

Sasuke tore his eyes off of her as he felt a change in the wind. The shadows were dancing to a strange tune—something wasn't right. He stood abruptly into a defensive stance. Sakura also noticed that something was strange.

"Whats going on?" She whispered to him as she looked all around the small forest.

Sasuke grinned. "We have a visitor."

As if on cue, a tall man jumped out from one of the trees. He wore a sleeveless blood red shirt and black pants which were tied on either side just under his knees. He was large and muscular, unlike anyone Sakura had ever seen. His eyes were partially hidden from view by the orange strands of hair which covered his face.

The strange man grinned. "Found you."

"Ronin," Sasuke huffed. "What do you want?"

Sakura looked back at Sasuke with confused eyes. '_He knows this guy?!'_

The man reached behind his back and pulled out a small dagger. Its hilt resembled the color of his hair. The blade itself had what appeared to be flames designed onto it.

"I just wanted to thank you Sasuke-sama. You did the dirty work for me." He smirked. "Now you're the only threat to me."

Ronin took a step froward. Sakura's instincts finally kicked in. She brought her fist in contact with the ground, transferring all of her chakra to the unsuspecting rocks below her. Her chakra traveled straight for him, everything in its path collapsing.

The man was forced to quickly jump out of the way. "Whoa now..." Ronin looked shocked. He looked over towards Sakura finally noticing her. "No need to get angry doll face."

Sakura's eye twitched. _'DOLL FACE?!'_

Ronin grinned over at Sasuke. "Finally found your sexuality?" Nothing about Sasuke had changed though. Ronin always saw him with the same serious face ever since he arrived in the sound under the care of Orochimaru. And nothing could really cause him to lose his cool. He had never liked Sasuke at all, but he was glad the guy had taken Orochimaru out.

Sasuke had the urge to smile as he noticed how pissed off Sakura was. He had an experiment to conduct however, and he needed his victim to be partially alive.

"Stop, Sakura."

She immediately forgot what had transpired and stared at Sasuke.

Ronin chuckled. "How cute, just like a dog." His voice grew dark at his last word.

Sakura glared at him before taking a deep breath. She glance back at Sasuke and saw him close his eyes. He stayed like that for a few minutes before opening them again. They were no longer the deep black she had looked at just a few minutes ago, but now a bloody red color. He looked like a demon—a blood crazed one.

Sasuke smirked as he tore straight into Ronin's eyes. _'Now or never...'_

"MANGEKYOU SHARINGAN!"

Sakura watched as his voice tore straight through the forest, awaking any creature that could have been asleep. His eyes widened as much as possible. She found herself taking a step back as she looked at them. The way they looked now was completely different to how she had previously seen them. She gasped as the man called Ronin fell to the ground with a loud thump. His eyes were wide, and pupils dilated. His mouth gaped open, allowing fluids to freely stream out. He had genuine fear passing through his face as he shuddered uncontrollably.

She turned her eyes back to sasuke. He kept his eyes open for only a second longer before closing them and falling to his knees. His palms quickly fell to the ground in front of him to support himself. Sakura ran over to him, kneeling by his side. He was panting deeply.

_'Baka. He doesn't have enough strength to be using the Sharingan yet...'_

She hesitantly placed a hand on his back—a little unsure of what to do. She wondered what in the world Sasuke had done to that man to leave him in such a state. It scared her...just a little.

"Are you...alright?" Her voice slightly shook.

She held her breath as he turned to look at her. Sakura let her breath release as she came in contact with black eyes and not the sinister ones from a minute ago.

Sasuke slightly smirked. "Hn..." _'It's time...'_

"_**When you have the same eyes as I do, come before me." **_

He shrugged her hand off of him and stood. He felt a bit shaky at first, but the feeling was soon put behind him as determination finally took over. He had everything he needed to get his revenge. It had taken him years, but his family would finally be avenged.

"Sasuke?"

There was her voice again. The mountain in his path, blocking him once again. He brought his hand to his side, making sure his sword was still there. To his surprise it was. This Sakura really wasn't the bright one at all.

"I think we should get moving." Sakura looked all around her, as if searching for more intruders. She sighed in relief as she realized there were none. "If he already found us here, there are sure to be more on the way. Especially the team Tsunade sent to the Sound."

Sasuke arched an eyebrow. He registered what she meant. "We?"

He threw her cloak around his bare chest, noticing the pile of blood that once used to be his shirt. He didn't like the way it smelt at all—or how warm it kept him. It was too much like her for his taste.

She walked over to get bag and gathered all of her things. "I told you. I'm going to help you." She flashed him a bright grin before strapping the backpack on herself.

Typical Sakura, she would betray anyone for him.

"And I said no." It was as if he were doomed to have this same conversation with her for eternity...or longer.

"Come on Uchiha. I'll heal you whenever you need it, and help you train. I promise to not get in your way."

_Uchiha_...he didn't like the way she said his name at all. She did have a point though. Her healing skills might come in handy. Sighing, he looked at her in the eyes. "One condition."

Sakura grinned. "Name it."

"Don't fall in love with me." _'Not again.'_

She blinked, wondering whether she had heard him correctly. '_Arrogant little bastard.' _She huffed and looked away, a quick nod answering his question.

He jumped onto a tree above her and looked back. His face was cold and harsh. "If you can't keep up, I'll leave you behind." He told her before disappearing.

She allowed chakra to build up in the soles of her feet before jumping onto the branch of a tree after him.

_'Love?' _The Kunoichi pondered. _'Did I...love him?'_

**End Chapter 6**

* * *

Sorry it took so long. Been kinda busy for the past week, and I had to re-do this chapter a few times...Sasuke felt too nice... oh wells. Anyways, Ronin is another OC...just added him in to give Sasuke a chance to test out his eyes, which if you were paying attention, you would realize that in this story he got them while battling against Orochimaru's body transfer ritual thing o.0 ... Check out my Deviant art for some SakuSasu drawings I've done. The link is on my profile page, just click on "homepage."

**Remember to Review :3**

Love,

_**Fates Princess**_

**Baka** - Idiot

**Sugoi **- Amazing/incredible/awseome/wow!

**Urusai** – Shut up!

**Kunoichi** – Female Ninja


	7. Welcome to Ketaki

**Previously**

"_Come on Uchiha. I'll heal you whenever you need it, and help you train. I promise to not get in your way."_

_Uchiha...he didn't like the way she said his name at all. She did have a point though. Her healing skills might come in handy. Sighing, he looked at her in the eyes. "One condition."_

_Sakura grinned. "Name it." _

"_Don't fall in love with me." 'Not again.' _

_She blinked, wondering whether she had heard him correctly. 'Arrogant little bastard.' She huffed and looked away, a quick nod answering his question. _

_He jumped onto a tree above her and looked back. His face was cold and harsh. "If you can't keep up, I'll leave you behind." He told her before disappearing._

_She allowed chakra to build up in the soles of her feet before jumping onto the branch of a tree after him._

_'Love?' The Kunoichi pondered. 'Did I...love him?'  
_

* * *

**Chapter 7 – Welcome to Ketaki**

It was beginning to be a peaceful day in the village hidden in leaves until...

"WHAT?!" The blond Kunoichi roared, causing everyone around to stop momentarily and stare.

Tsunade placed a hand against her forehead and sighed. "You heard me Ino, shes gone." The over-worked Hokage needed some sake. Badly.

"Why are we just sitting here then! Shouldn't _you _send a team after her?!" The blond pointed accusingly at the Hokage—anger sering through her eyes. She had come back from the mission to Sound along with her other teammates only to find out that her best friend was missing.

"Indeed! We must bring her back!" Lee came up besides Ino. Shikamaru grunted in approval along with Neji.

"Tusnade-sama, Sakura doesn't know what she's getting herself into. We have to save her!. We..."

"Thats enough, Ino." Naruto muttered. He had been eerily quiet about the whole situation and it hadn't gone unnoticed at all. Out of all present, Tsunade had expected him to be the loudest about Sakura's retrieval...but he had just remained silent. They all turned back to see him staring at the ground. He appeared completely calm...almost on the verge of uncaring.

"N..Naruto-kun?" Hinata placed a hand on his shoulder only to have it shrugged off.

"Just leave her alone. If it's what she wants to do then why should we stop her?"

"But..." Ino began only to be silenced by Naruto's glare. His eyes told them everything they needed to know. He turned from them and quickly walked away. His destination was uncertain, but he just needed to get away. It was happening all over again—he was being deserted. The only difference was that he knew there was nothing he could do about it this time. Sakura was strong, and she could take care of herself—that much he knew. But he still couldn't help himself from worrying.

'Sakura-chan...'

"_Sakura-chan! Come on, he was seen nearby here. We'll get him for sure this time!" The excited blond grasped onto Sakura's hand and attempted to pull her along with him; she easily pulled her hand away from his grasp though. _

"_Wha..." He turned around with a puzzled look. "Sakura-chan?" _

_She was staring at the ground—her eyes hidden by loose strands of hair. He could tell something was wrong right away. Naruto noticed that both of her hands by her sides had clenched fists. They were slightly shaking but she fought to keep them under control. _

"_Just stop." Her voice was soft and almost silent but Naruto's sharp ears caught on. _

"_Sakura-chan...I don't understand. We can save him this time!" _

_She shook her head and looked up at the confused boy. "Just forget it." To his surprise, she wasn't crying. She didn't look to have one sad bone in her body at all. But she did look angry. He wondered if it was with himself. Had he done something wrong to make her mad? He hoped not._

_It was her next words that took his breath away. "Stop being selfish Naruto." Her words almost stung. Almost._

"_Sa..ku..ra?" Was this really the girl he had come to care deeply for? Sweet innocent Sakura? No._

"_What's wrong...?" _

_She huffed and looked away. "Don't be stupid. He doesn't want to be saved."_

_His eyes softened. She had been acting strange every since they had returned from their mission at Orochimaru's base. Seeing Sasuke had cheered her up, he was certain of it. But they learned the hard way that the boy they had come across was no longer their Sasuke. It was silly really, Naruto knew that Sakura had expected things would be easier. She had wanted Sasuke to see them and just apologize for everything then return willingly. Naruto knew otherwise, but he couldn't find it in his heart to tell that to Sakura. She loved the boy after-all. Maybe if he had told her, than her reaction would have been different. _

"_It was his dream to become more powerful and kill someone, wasn't it?" _

_Naruto nodded._

"_Then just let him be. If that's what makes him happy...then let him be. We have no right to stop him."_

_She slightly chuckled and looked back at him. She no longer looked angry, but bitter. "We're almost as bad as **he** is you know?" _

_Naruto let his eyebrows drop lower. "Who?"_

"_Orochimaru." _

_The blond was taken aback by her comment, but he knew there was truth in her words—he just refused to admit it. _

"_Promise me Naruto. Promise that you'll let him go." She looked at him with determined eyes, holding her right hand out to him and extending her pinky. _

_'Just like old times.'_

_Naruto grasped onto her pinky with his own and nodded. The blond sighed and agreed to a promise he probably wouldn't be able to keep for the second time in his life._

Naruto leaned back on the roof top and stared at the bright blue sky. It was such a beautiful day. There were no signs of trouble anywhere—yet he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling he continued to get in the pit of his stomach. He had discovered this place once... before he actually knew the event which had occurred there—the Uchiha district. It was one of the few places in the busy village of Konoha where one could find peace. It was ironic really...the price that once had to be paid for peace to exist in this deserted district.

He closed his eyes only for a second and upon opening them, he was met with another pair. The brightness of the morning was momentarily eclipsed by her shadow.

"Hinata?"

She plopped herself down next to him and laid back to stare at the sky along with the blond. He turned his attention from the sky to her face. She was smiling, slightly blushing—she was always blushing. Her now-long hair was scattered all around her—each thin strand shining brightly as the sunlight came down upon it.

"Its a...a beautiful day. Ne, Na-Naruto-kun?"

He slowly nodded, not sure whether she noticed his movement at all.

"It...it shouldn't be s-spent alone."

He found it harder to turn away from her as the blush deepened on her pale skin. He hadn't realized it, but he was smiling. The Hyuga turned to look at him through transparent eyes.

"Mmm." He responded and nodded at her before they both turned their attention back to the sky.

'The day shouldn't be spent alone. Are you alone Sakura-chan?'

"Arigato, Hinata-chan."

'No, Sakura will never be alone.'

* * *

He had to be a monster, because no other words really came to her mind at the time. He was still suffering from his injuries—she was sure of it—and even so, he swiftly moved from tree to tree at a pace which surprised Sakura. She'd die before she admitted it, but after a while, keeping up with the s-class-nin was becoming a tiring task. She had come to find out that life was basically a ritual for the quiet Uchiha. Every day, he would awake at the brink of dawn and prepare to go on the move once again. He would keep traveling at the same pace for, give or take, six hours, then take an hour long break.

That hour felt like nothing to her aching legs though. And just as soon as she had found a comfortable resting spot somewhere on the grass, they would be off again for another six hours. Sakura had no idea where it was that Sasuke was headed and she was beginning to think that he was just a clueless. Leave it to a man to search for directions based on instinct. She let the thought find comfort in the back of her mind though; patience was something she'd have to build up sooner or later anyways—why not take the chance once presented.

Sakura had quickly come to fall in love with the night. Since the brink of dawn, there were a few words she'd long to hear come out of Sasuke's mouth—not that many did anyways...

"Hn. We'll camp here."

And she would smile and take a deep breath, allowing all of her belongings to topple to the ground carelessly along with her tired body. Had there been anyone trying to attack them, she would have welcomed death with open hands. Sasuke would scoff at her and leave in search of something to eat. The usual pray was fish—though after a long day, anything would suffice. He was never gone long, but when he came back, he would always be greeted with the same sight. Sakura would no longer be laying carelessly down on the ground, but instead nestled comfortably into her sleeping bag. There would also be a fire made, which he had yet to figure out how she kept doing.

Sasuke would quickly cook the meal and nudge her back awake to eat her portion. It was a different feeling to him. Something he wasn't used to after spending so many years locked up in the snake's lair...but it felt nice. He was beginning to like the way each day just carelessly went by...and how when he awoke, there would always be another presence nearby—almost reassuring to him that he was indeed alive. He had his memories of what his life had been like in Konoha when he was still a child, but thats all they were, memories. He could see them, and remember, but he couldn't really feel what it had been like. Maybe like this. He hoped it had been like this. Though, moments like those made him wish he too had lost his memories because no matter how hard he tried to forget, there was still something he NEEDED to accomplish, and after so much given up and wasted—Sasuke would not let anything or **anyone** stand in his path.

"Good night Uchiha-san." She acknowledged before snuggling back into her sleeping bag.

"Hn."

Sakura frowned inside the warmth of her sleeping bag. He never said it back. Though she really didn't know what had possessed her to think otherwise in the first place. At night, Sasuke would prop himself up against a tree and close his eyes. She wouldn't really call it sleeping—because he didn't seem to be asleep at all. In fact, he seemed rather alert. His hands were crossed over his chest, one of them dangerously close to his katana. His breathing was rhytmatic and cool, and his lids appeared to be barely closed. She had an urge to test her theory one night and find out whether he really slept or not, but decided against it.

Though there was a night when she might have tested their boundaries a little too closely. She had finished eating, as had he, and was just carelessly lying inside her sleeping-bag staring up at the star filled sky. There were millions—billions—of stars in the sky, all shining so brightly that Sakura could do nothing more than smile as her eyes twinkled under their radiance. Sasuke was of course against a random tree, eyes shut.

"Uchiha-san?" She looked over to where he sat. His breathing remained the same and he made no sudden movements at all—almost as if he hadn't heard her call his name at all...but she knew he had.

"Why did you do it?" The question had been itching her ever since she first learned his name a few years back. The reason she was taught seemed, for lack of a better term, foolish if nothing more. Revenge...the murderer of so many. She had been taught of the murder of his entire clan, excluding him of course, and how it was one of his own clan members who had killed them. And now, Uchiha Sasuke was in search of said man to kill him...

Sasuke still made no movements. He was far from being asleep—such a word no longer existed to the young ninja—but he refused to answer such pointless unnecessary questions. The way Sakura always meddled still bothered him...far too much for his own liking.

"Why did you betray Konoha Uchiha-san?"

He had a feeling that she wouldn't stop her annoying questioning. With eyes still closed, he spoke out in a low voice, "I'm sure you've been told."

Sakura smirked and let her eyes shift back to the night sky. "I'm not sure I can believe anything I've been told for the past four years, Uchiha-san."

He let his eyes subconsciously open after a few minutes and studied her. Although she appeared to be content, he could see the confusion and uncertainty written all over her...it was especially visible to him in her chakra patterns.

"Justice needs to be done."

She shook at the sound of his voice, not expecting him to say anything. She looked back at his dull eyes and the way they carelessly looked at her, as if she were less than a person. Did he know how intimidating his gaze was? She was sure he did.

"By you?"

"No one else is willing to do anything."

She partially raised herself from her sleeping-bag with her elbows. "You know that's not true."

He closed his eyes once again, removing those traitorous eyes from his view.

"Was there really a need to consult with the enemy in order to kill that man though? I'm sure you could have become just as strong had you remained in Konoha."

"Sleep."

"Don't you see, if you do end up killing this man...you'll be just like him."

It was just like Sakura to attempt to talk him out of things, even with no memory of him. But just as many times before, her attempts would continue to fail.

"He was part of your clan...I-"

His eyes sprung open, no longer able to ignore her blind comments.

"Did they tell you, Sakura, that the man who killed my clan was my own brother?" He heard a gasp come from her way but continued with a dark tone. "I suggest you shut your mouth, Sakura, if you do not know what you are talking about."

He stared directly at her eyes as she seemed to be processing the information she had just been given. No, nothing had ever been mentioned to her about that. She fisted her hands, cursing at herself for ever making such a stupid decision to have her memories changed—she was putting not only herself in danger but also others if cases such as Sasuke Uchiha's had to remain secrets.

After what seemed like forever, she nodded and slid back into her sleeping-bag, never removing her eyes from his.

"You're right Uchiha-san. I'm sorry."

He watched her for the longest time as she slept with a deep frown on her face. Whatever was going on through her mind, must have not been pleasant at all. This night had been the longest conversation she'd had with him...and the last as well.

It was after a long week of traveling that they finally reached any signs of life. It was a small village, apparently located in the Land of Grass. According to signs they had passed, the village was known as Ketaki—and was located sixty miles from _the Village Hidden in Grass_, Kusagakure. Everything about the village was beyond beautiful to Sakura's eyes. There were beautiful flowers everywhere emitting a glorious aroma in the streets—it was almost like a dream. There was almost a careless air that surrounded the entire village. There had been no questioning concerning their entrance, Sakura was sure no one had even realized they had arrived. There were hundreds of people littering the villages only major road, but they would not spare each other even a glance. She found it rather odd, especially coming from Konoha where chatter about others constantly slithered through the streets.

She looked up at the man besides her but he seemed to be just like one of them. He spared no one a glance and just walked forward—maybe he did know where he was headed after all. After a few minutes of walking, Sasuke had led them to what looked to be a motel. Though it wasn't the best looking one, Sakura was at least glad that she wouldn't have to sleep on the ground another night.

The room Sasuke had gotten for them was rather small, and kind of dirty, but again, Sakura held no room for complaints. She was at least glad that the small room had two beds. She threw her belongings down and sat down on the bed, allowing her upper half to fall back on the mattress. She closed her eyes and let a long sigh escape her, enjoying the softness beneath her.

"I'm in heaven." She whispered to herself.

She heard rustling in the room and looked up to see what Sasuke was doing. He was just about to turn the doorknob to the door when she called out to him.

"Where are you going?"

"I have things to do. Stay in this room, I'll be back later." She fell back down, staring at the roof, allowing her eyes to close once again as she heard the click of the door as it shut and she was left alone.

She wondered how her friends were doing back in Konoha. Would they leave to try and find her, or just forget about her and move on. She hardly doubted it was the latter though, especially with someone like Naruto as a friend. She hadn't really thought out what would happen if she were to be found. Would she also be labeled as a traitor and thrown into a prison cell? How would she explain her actions to everyone...

The kunoichi groaned as she stood up from the bed, heading straight for the bathroom for long over-due relaxation. She would figure everything out later, once she was sure all the facts and lies were in order.

The hours passed one right after the other, yet there was still no sign of Sasuke anywhere. Sakura was quickly growing impatient sitting alone in the motel room. There really were only two things to do. A- sleep, or B- look out the window. Though she was rather tired and the view of the town was lovely, neither felt like the right choice to her.

It was when her stomach made a rather unlady-like noise that she figured out what she had to do. Rummaging through her backpack, she quickly recovered the stash of money she had brought along for emergencies. Sasuke couldn't have possibly meant she had to stay in the room and die of starvation... Right? Besides, she would be back before anyone even realized she was gone. The hard light outside in the streets was that of mid-afternoon. All of the commotion in the streets seemed to by dying down—or at least going at a slower pace. One thing she was glad of was the cooler air signaling the coming of the night.

She found a cute little stand that reminded her very much of Ichiraku Ramen back at home. She usually preferred to avoid ramen as a meal, but all of a sudden it was all she was craving for. As her meal was placed before her she imagined it was Teuchi-san and Ayame-san instead of the unknown man in front of her.

"Sakura-san," Ayame would say, "how nice to see you today!"

"Thanks for the meal old man!" Naruto would yell before digging into his bowl of ramen loudly, slurping and gulping it all down without a care in the world. To her other side would be Kakashi, quickly plotting a way to eat his meal, and leave them with the bill... all without having to risk a glance at his mask-covered face. Her memories told her Sai was also there, but she began to wonder if it was Sasuke who had once been there.

Sighing, she picked up the chopsticks besides her bowl. "Itadakimasu." She slowly whispered. It didn't taste quite as good alone though.

Once she exited from the ramen stand, she realized how late it had gotten. She wasn't sure when it was that the sun had set, but the sky was now almost pitch black. There were still people roaming the streets, but not quite as many as Sakura felt comfortable with. The atmosphere was almost eerie. Although the paper lanterns hanging from the many shops helped to quell some of the uneasiness in the pit of her stomach, she unconsciously began to walk faster back to her motel room.

"Excuse me, miss?"

She jumped at the sound of another voice. Not even while ordering ramen had a person from this town spoken to her. Sakura slowly turned to find a little boy staring up at her. He looked to be about eight, or ten years old. She noticeably relaxed as she stared at him—it was only a harmless child. She cursed at herself for letting paranoia get the best of her.

She kneeled in front of the little boy, giving him a friendly smile. "Yes?"

He looked around the village for a second, a frightened look passing through his eyes. Sakura was sure he was on the verge of tears. "I-I...I think I'm lost."

Sakura nodded, giving the little boy a reassuring look. "Where are your parents?"

The little boy looked down at the ground. "Dead, miss."

Sakura furrowed her brows. "Then who are you living with?"

"My older brother..."

The little boy looked up as he saw her stand before him once again. His brown eyes were twinkling with unshed tears. Sakura held a hand out for him to hold on to and a small smile. "Then lets go find him."

The little boy smiled. "Really miss?"

Sakura could only nod. "Do you think you'd recognized your home if you saw it again." The boy nodded a reply. Sasuke would probably be very angry with her when she arrived back at the motel room, but she couldn't possibly leave this little boy to die out on the streets.

"Then come on, lets go."

He griped her hand lightly and they both began to walk down the dark street.

* * *

By the time Sasuke had arrived back in the motel room, it was well into the night. He stumbled through the door, his body failing him, and made a dash for the bathroom. He felt a burning sensation in his throat as he emptied the few cups of alcohol he had drank that night into the toilet. He had expected side effects from the Mangekyo Sharingan without a doubt, but he had never dreamed they would be this strong. It felt as if he had been completely drained of all his energy within a second. It was worth it though. He had managed to leave the new Sharingan activated for a period of two minutes now. It wasn't enough, but it was a start nontheless.

It was as he let his body fall to the floor while regaining his breath that he noticed something wasn't right. It was just him alone in that room. There was no bubbly presence nearby, and no pink hair within sight. He didn't need to move to know she wasn't in the room, but he did so anyway.

"Sakura...?"

The first thought that entered his mind was that she had returned back to Konoha. He'd like to believe he was glad to be rid of her annoying chatter, but the deep frown on his face thought otherwise. He clenched his fists as he sat down on the cold mattress. Everything could now go at the pace he wanted and there would be no need for rest. And now that she had returned, he wouldn't have to be worried about being tracked down by Konoha-nin's who would come to find her. It was as if a burden had been lifted off of his shoulders.

He let his body fall back on the bed, much like Sakura had done when they had first arrived in the room. He pulled the cloak she had lent him off himself and let it fall to the ground, leaving him in only a loose black T-shirt he had acquired earlier that day and the rest of the uniform he had received from Orochimaru.

He had almost let the fatigue completely take control of him until he turned his head and looked at the _**nearly**_ empty bed besides his own.

"Shit..."

* * *

The house the little boy had led her to was a good two or three miles from the busy village streets. It was a modest size, but Sakura could tell the years were finally wearing it down. She felt pity for the boy for having to live in such a run-down place, but it was much better than the streets.

"We found it miss!" He seemed excited as he looked up at her. The little boy gripped her hand a little tighter and led her towards the house in a slow jog. "Come on, I want you to meet my brother."

She knew she should have probably turned around and returned to the motel since it was getting extremely late, but a quick 'hello' wouldn't cause any harm.

Once inside the old house, he led her down a hallway to a brightly lit room.

"Onii-chan, I'm home!"

Inside of the room there were about ten or twelve guys, each looked to be in their twenty's. They all smiled malevolently at her as she walked in with the boy. Her heart rate hitched a little due to the looks she was receiving. It was as if they were all undressing her in their minds.

"Good job Dai, I see you brought an exotic looking one this time."

Sakura supposed the one who had spoken was the little boys brother. He looked like an older version of him. Brown eyes and matching hair. The older brother however, had a much darker look than the little boy. Two words he had spoken kept replaying over and over in her mind. _This time. This time?_

Did that mean she wasn't the first girl the little boy had brought home. She felt the need to say something, but was speechless as she stared at all of the men. It didn't take much to figure out why they had the little boy bring girls back to their home. She was so disgusted she could barely look at any of them. How could such sick creatures exist.

Sakura was sure the little boy didn't know what it was that went on once the girls were left in the house.

"Can I go now Taro?"

Said man nodded and stood from his seat, walking closer and closer towards Sakura. She grimaced and gave him the dirtiest look possible.

"What do you want?" She hissed.

His chuckle made Sakura unconscionably take a step back. "You look smart enough to figure that out little girly."

Her frown depended as he stepped closer and her back met the wall. "Bastard."

He shook his head at her, stopping a couple of feet from her. "Now now, such nasty words shouldn't come out of such a pretty little mouth."

She didn't fail to hear the numerous cheers that came from within the room.

"What's your name little girl?" He purred.

Replaying all she had just heard in her mind over, she tried to find a reason to let any of these monsters live, but non could be found. When he came within an arm's distance of her, she smirked. It went unnoticed by Taro though, because that same second he found himself laying against the wall on the opposite side of the room.

Taro brought his hand up to his mouth, coughing violently for a few seconds. Each time he did, blood would splatter onto his welcoming fist. He looked up at the pink-haired girl with disbelief.

"Sakura." She grinned.

All of the other men in the room stood, some rushing to help Taro up. He pushed them all away however and stood on his own. "A Kunoichi, huh?" He wiped the blood from his face with the back of his hand.

"Then I guess we wont go easy on you." He smirked.

They all took a step closer to her. Sakura didn't let her resolve crack, but something told her these guys weren't your average sick lowlifes.

_Shit..._

**End Chapter 7**

* * *

So **very very sorry** for taking so long to update this story. Its been like what? 4 months.. wow.. I guess I just couldn't find the proper inspiration to help me finish writing the chapter... but i've got some new ideas now so it should be fine from now on. I will finish this story, no matter how long it takes :)

As for the last chapter...heh.. I hadn't even noticed that little line was just like the one from A walk to remember lol, thanks for those of you who pointed it out to me. Do you guys think I should go back and change that a little though since it sounds too Cliché? Or should I just leave it as is??

More OC's in this chapter :) they're fun to come up with... and the best part is that I can do whatever I want to them. W00t.

**Remember to Review 3**

Love,

_**Fates Princess**_


End file.
